Winter Break
by inlike12
Summary: What happens at Winter Break stays at Winter Break...or does it? A blizzard, crutches, and crushes...with some sabotage thrown in for good measure. Len x Kaho
1. Chapter 1

It was a normal day at Seiso Academy. The sun shone brightly, its rays hitting the statue of a winged fairy with curly hair. Students chattered amiably as they walked towards their respective buildings- the one for the general education students, and the one for the music students. Hino Kahoko, a gen-ed student, was walking towards the school like everyone else when a handsome, blue-haired music student her age approached her. "Ohayo, Tsukimori-kun!" she said cheerfully. The stoic music student nodded in return. "Kanazawa-sensei told me to look for you. Apparently, he has big news for all the concourse participants."

The two teenagers walked to the faculty together, turning quite a few heads as they passed other students.

"Is that the famous Tsukimori Len with Hino Kahoko? Are they dating now?"

"You don't suppose the violin romance has actually come true!!"

"Omigod, this is such a juicy scoop!"

"Damn, that Hino-san sure is lucky to have snagged such a cute guy!"

All the comments made Hino blush and Tsukimori scowl. He silenced the rest of the students with his trademark glare that could unnerve even the strictest teachers in Seiso. "So, uh, Tsukimori, how are you these days?" asked Hino, trying to have a pleasant conversation with her serious companion. "It's none of your concern, but my mother is planning on taking me with her on her tours around Japan."

"Wow! That must be very exciting for you!" exclaimed Hino, genuinely happy for him.

Tsukimori simply shrugged.

There came an awkward silence as Hino tried to think of what she could say next, when Tsukimori abruptly said, "I'm sorry. I'm not very good at conversing with others. You know that I spend all my time practicing the violin. Don't bother trying to start a conversation with me."

Hino was stunned. This was the first time Tsukimori had said something personal to her. It was a pleasant surprise. She gave a small smile and said, "That's okay. I could teach you to be more sociable, the same way you help me with my violin playing."

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When all the concourse participants had been assembled, Kanazawa-sensei said to them, "The principal wants to give you guys another vacation. Winter break is coming, and apparently he has a friend, who owns a ski resort in Kyoto. The ski resort man's name is Nakamoto Kyouya. Nakamoto-san would gladly give all of you—and me, free lodging if you would play a few songs every night there as a group. Of course, if you're all going, I have to go too, as a chaperone." "WAH! A SKI TRIP!" exclaimed Hihara, "I CAN'T WAIT! THIS IS GONNA BE SOO MUCH **FUN!** Although I don't really know how to ski…but, but AH! YUNOKI! YOU'VE BEEN ON SKI TRIPS BEFORE RIGH--" The green haired senpai was cut off by a loud sigh from Tsukimori. "Frankly, I don't see the point in all these outings as a group. I still have to practice. Kanazawa-sensei, please tell Nakamoto-san that I appreciate the offer but I'm too busy for such useless things as 'vacations'." Kanazawa sighed. "Tsukimori, it's only for a week. Besides, you can play your violin there, since all of you would be asked to perform at the lodge." A snort came from the side of the room. The blue haired violinist glared at the source of the noise, Tsuchiura. "Don't bother sensei. Elite-music-student-sama absolutely HAS to play the violin all the time," said the moss-haired student. Kanazawa sighed again. _Why did I become a teacher again??_

Tsukimori was about to retort when the lavender haired teacher cut him off.

"Look, Tsukimori, the concourse is over. Why don't you cut yourself some slack and relax a little?"

"Sensei, just because the concourse is over doesn't mean I can stop practicing. Unlike some people, I don't have a lot of time to waste." Only Tsukimori could pull of that unique tone that could sound polite and cold at the same time.

"Time to waste?? Tsukimori, instead of practicing the violin all the time, why don't you try learning _how to cook_?" an angry Tsuchiura shot back.

Hino sighed and shook her head. _Those two will never get along, will they?_

She looked over at Fuyuumi and Shimizu, the two youngest participants in the music competition. Shimizu was, as usual, fast asleep, his head of curly blond hair resting on his arms, oblivious to the growing tension in the room. Fuyuumi looked nervously between the pianist and the violinist. On the other side of the room, a calm Yunoki sipped his tea and said, "Hey, hey, stop arguing, you two. Tsukimori-kun, you can always practice in your room while the others are skiing and having fun. Everyone is free to decide what they want to do in their free time, as long as they perform at the lodge too, right, Kanazawa-sensei?" Yunoki looked over at the teacher, who seemed to be too exasperated to say anything and simply nodded. "Well then, that's settled. Besides, I have a feeling Tsukimori-kun would not want to disappoint the principal of Seiso Academy, right?" The indigo haired musician slyly looked at Tsukimori, revealing, for a few moments, his true self. The disgruntled 2nd year gave a slight nod.

"Well then, see you all next week!"

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	2. Chapter 2

It was the day of the ski trip. Hino ran up the road, hoping to make it to the train station on time. Her violin case and duffel bag bounced along as she jogged to the train station.

"Where is that Hino?" asked an exasperated Kanazawa-sensei. "She's the only one we're waiting for now."

Suddenly they caught sight of a sweaty, panting auburn- haired girl running towards them.

"Here I am!" she gasped.

Tsuchiura suppressed an urge to laugh at the sight of Hino—she looked positively ridiculous, her wind-swept hair looking exactly_ unlike_ the wind blown hairdos of movie actresses, the duffel bag strap slipping off her shoulder, her clothes all rumpled.

Amusedly, he said to her, "You look like you ran a marathon."

Hihara overheard this, and quickly spoke up, "That's okay Kaho-chan, I think you're still cute even in the state you're in!"

At this, everyone turned to stare at them. Yunoki looked amused, Tsukimori's eyes widened, Tsuchiura looked shocked, Fuyuumi blushed, Kanazawa raised an eyebrow, and Shimizu—well, Shimizu looked sleepy.

Hino turned beet red and stared at the trumpet player. "A-ano, arigato, Hihara-senpai.." Hihara, realizing the embarrassing situation he had put them both in, turned an even deeper shade of red than the violinist.

For the first time, he was at a loss for words. "Uh, uhm.."

The arrival of the train saved him from saying anything else, and soon, the group was on its way to Kyoto.

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On the train, the performers made their way to the room compartments (they would be spending the night on the train.) assigned to them. Shimizu and Kanazawa were to share a box, with Yunoki and Tsuchiura in the next compartment. Across the corridor would be Fuyuumi and Hino, and lastly, Hihara and Tsukimori. Upon hearing the pairings, Tsukimori sighed inwardly. How could he have a moment of silence with the chatty sensei in the box?

"Kanayan!!" said Hihara, "Could I switch? Yunoki and I have a project that's due after winter break, and we haven't done anything yet!"

"Oh, okay," said the teacher.

Tsukimori was inwardly relieved….until he remembered who Yunoki was paired up with—that green-haired soccer doof. Tsuchiura felt the same way Tsukimori did, and immediately turned to look at him. They exchanged glances of contempt before turning their attention to Kanazawa.

The teacher had already been expecting this, and before the students could protest, he said, "Sorry guys, neither I nor Shimizu will switch with either of you. Both of you will have to learn to get along. After all, you might be seeing more of each other at the ski resort."

Kanazawa's eyes twinkled gleefully, and Hino couldn't help but think that he had a bit of a sadistic streak in him. Maybe hanging around Yunoki-senpai had bad effects.

As everyone else settled into their booths, the two performers eyed each other with hostility.

"Well, as long as we pretend the other doesn't exist, we should get along just fine," said Tsuchiura.

The blue-haired prodigy nodded curtly before settling into his side of the 'room'. He then took out a book, "The Count of Monte Cristo" and began reading.

Tsuchiura sighed as he plopped down onto his small bed and took out his cell phone. He opened the music player of the phone and Insomnia by Craig David blared from the speaker.

_Because I can't sleep till you're next to me_

_No, I can't be without you no more_

_Oh, I'll stay up till you're next to me,_

_Till this house feels like it did before_

_Feels like insomnia, ah ah ah_

_Feels like insomnia, ah ah ah_

Tsukimori, upon hearing the music coming from the device, shot Tsuchiura a look of pure contempt. "Will you lower the volume, _please_," he said through gritted teeth.

Tsuchiura, who had been expecting this, smirked to himself before putting on an innocent look. "What's wrong, Tsukimori? Don't you like this song?"

The music student glared at him. "No, I don't like the song. The volume is too loud, and the singer's voice is terrible. Frankly, I'm surprised at your awful taste in music."

"Terrible? How can you say that Craig David's singing is terrible? He's been nominated as best artist many times for Grammys, BET awards, BRIT awards… and what would you know about pop music anyway?"

"He's been nominated a lot, but how many times has he actually WON?" Tsukimori shot back. "And, as for your other insult, I know enough about music to know his singing is appalling."

Their argument continued for quite some time, much to the dismay of Hino and Fuyuumi. The two girls were trying to relax a bit, especially Hino, since she was a bit tired from running to the train station. From the sound of it, the argument had moved from Craid David's singing to Tsuchiura's choice in music. The song playing on the pianist's phone, though, was not Insomnia anymore. Now, the beat-y melody of Jai Ho by the PCD was floating around in the air. Hino sweatdropped at this new revelation—Tsuchiura had a very, erm, varied taste in music. She sighed and stood up. She may be a sweet, nice girl, but her patience had its limits, too, especially when she was tired.

Hino stalked over to the next door box, where Tsuchiura and Tsukimori were talking animatedly. She paused a while before knocking on the glass doors, to observe their conversation--- or, more accurately, their argument. Tsuchiura was looking very pissed off, and Tsukimori, whose usual facial expression was a stoic, serious one, was not succeeding in passing off as Mr. Ice Cube anymore. Surprisingly, however, he still looked very, very handsome, even though his angry expression wrinkled his smooth face. In fact, Hino could've sworn that he looked EVEN MORE handsome, what with the sunlight streaming in from the train windows hitting his brilliant cerulean hair, lightening his already fair skin. These were the thoughts that flitted across Hino's mind as she stood outside the door of the box.

The two boys were arguing about the songs Tsuchiura was listening to when Tsukimori became aware of a bright mop of red hair out of the corner of his eye. He broke off their argument to turn and look at Hino. She was still outside their door, leaning against the wall. Her eyes seemed to be looking at—wait, was she looking at HIM? Tsuchiura turned to look at what his rival was staring at, and when he saw Hino, he smiled, but then realized she was not looking at him. Instead, the pretty violinist's gaze was directed at the ice cube, her expression similar to that of Yunoki's fangirls whenever the popular flutist passed by. Tsuchiura felt a pang of jealousy, but quickly brushed it aside and said, "Yo, Hino! What are you doing out there?"

Hino jumped at the sound of Tsuchiura's voice. She didn't even realize she was still staring at Len, or, uh, Tsukimori-kun, and blushed furiously when she realized he was staring right back. "Oh, uh, well, uhm," she stammered.

"If you have something to say, Hino-san, you'd better say it now," Tsukimori said icily.

"I, uh, well, I was wondering if maybe you two could stop arguing for a while…you see, Fuyuumi-chan and I are trying to get some rest..." she said.

"I'll stop arguing with the elite-music-student-sama if I don't see his face," muttered Tsuchiura. Tsukimori nodded.

Hino sighed. "All right, then, one of you has to leave the box and switch with me. That way, you two won't argue and we girls can get our rest."

Neither of the boys moved from their beds. Finally, Tsuchiura sighed and got up. He couldn't help it, being the nicer of the two. Hino gave him a grateful smile as he slipped out of the box. She blushed faintly as she sat down across from Tsukimori and, seeing the scowl on his face hadn't disappeared (has it ever?), she said quickly, "Ne, Tsukimori-kun, I know you must think I'm a nuisance and everything, but I promise I won't bother you for the duration of the trip."

She was about to lie down when Tsukimori very softly said, "I don't think you're a nuisance."

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	3. Chapter 3

A/N- Thank you to all those who added my story to their story alert/ favorites list, and to those who reviewed…I really appreciated it.

This might be my last chapter for a while… school is starting again tomorrow…and I was only able to work on this because of the national holidays and free day after quarterly exams…well, I hope you enjoy!

The hours flew by as the train made its way to Kyoto. The four boxes were quiet- Kanazawa was smoking near the window, carefully avoiding the train attendants who would surely confiscate the box of cigarettes he had smuggled onto the train. Shimizu spent half the time sleeping, and the other half reading a book on music. In the next compartment, Hihara and Yunoki were busy discussing their project for Chemistry that was due after the break. Fuyuumi was taking a nap, and Tsuchiura continued to listen to the songs on his phone with earphones he borrowed from the shy clarinet player. Tsukimori continued to read his novel, but at a very slow pace. He couldn't help but steal glances at Hino, who was sleeping soundly in the bed across from him.

"She looks so peaceful, just lying there. Even asleep, there's a smile on her face," he smiled fondly. "I wonder what she's dreaming of…"

The two violinists ended up sleeping in the same booth; since Tsuchiura decided not to disturb her peaceful slumber, he, although a bit reluctant and jealous at first, decided not to wake her up just to make her go back to her original box.

Tsukimori couldn't sleep. Not with her in the box. Finally giving up on any intention of getting rest, he decided to continue reading the romantic (not the harlequin-type romance books) novel by Alexandre Dumas, stopping only a few—okay, maybe many, times to look lovingly at Hino. Her red curls were strewn about her face in a careless way, but she still looked beautiful, as beautiful as when Tsukimori woke up beside her in the empty practice room, as beautiful as she was when he invited her to his mother's concert, as beautiful as when he set his eyes upon her the first time they met, delivering papers for the teacher. She finally woke up from her deep, deep slumber at around 5 in the morning. She was surprised to find that Tsukimori was already awake, staring out the window. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Tsukimori-kun!"

"Hino." He nodded.

She sighed. "Will he ever change?" she thought. Suddenly something hit her—something she should've realized right away. "Hey, wait, why are we in the same booth? D-did you… did WE do s-something l-last night??"

Tsukimori reddened at her accusation. He glared at her and said coldly, "Don't be silly, Hino-san, as much I seem like a bad person to all of you, I would never do such a thing to another woman, or to another MAN, for that matter…..at least not without consent,"

He muttered the last part so lowly that Hino almost didn't hear it. Almost.

She blushed, saying, "O-oh, I'm sorry, Tsukimori-kun. I've probably been watching too much cable TV… so, why AM I—"

"(sighs exasperatedly) You were still sleeping when Tsuchiura came back. He decided to leave you here, and not disturb your sleep."

"Oh," she gave him a sheepish grin. "Sorry for jumping to conclusions.."

At that moment, Kanazawa chose to stroll over to the box he assumed was occupied by Tsukimori and Tsuchiura, eager to see how the cat and dog were doing… imagine his surprise to find that the large pianist had been replaced by a strawberry red girl.

"Well, well, well, well, WELL! I had my doubts about that silly 'Violin Romance' legend, but it seems that myth as been confirmed!" he exclaimed cheerfully. At this comment, Hino turned an even deeper shade of red and began waving her hands frantically. "I-ie, Kanazawa-sensei, it's not what you think--"

Even Tsukimori had turned a faint tinge of pink and began to protest as well.

The commotion the trio had created caused everyone else to wake up.

"Ne, Kanayan, what's with all the noise?" asked Hihara.

"See for yourself," grinned the lavender haired teacher. "Our two violinists seem to have—er, shall we say, _slept together_ last night."

The poor trumpet player, misinterpreting the teacher's statement, fainted on the spot. He was revived after receiving a dose of cold water on the face, just in time to get off the train. They were in Kyoto.

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As the ski resort came into view, Hino couldn't help but gasp at it. It was a magnificent sight. The tall mountains were blanketed in a clean white layer of snow. The lodge itself was gargantuan, made of a deep brown oak, with tall glass panels everywhere. Around the lodge were smaller cabins, one of which would be their home for a week.

"WAH! IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL! I CAN SEE THOSE CABLE CAR CHAIR THINGIES! HEY, LOOK! PEOPLE ARE SKIING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN! I WANNA LEARN TO DO THAT! YUNOKI, WILL YOU TEACH ME THAT??" Hihara exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down a little in the car.

Yunoki could only smile and nod at his classmate.

The group unloaded their things and placed them in a small cluster in the lobby of the main lodge. As Kanazawa-sensei went to the front desk to check in, the teenagers wandered around, marveling at the luxurious interior of the room. The inside of the lodge was dimly lit to give the place some ambience. The only light was from a few crystal chandeliers hanging from the 10-foot high walls. Hino looked up at the fixtures, marveling at their beauty.

"So these are the skilled musicians from Seiso Academy," a deep cheerful voice boomed. The voice came from a middle-aged, dark- haired man with glasses in a striped blue polo with sleeves rolled up partway.

"Nakamoto-san, these are the concourse participants- Tsukimori Len, Yunoki Azuma, Fuyuumi Shoko, Hihara Kazuki, Hino Kahoki, and Tsuchiura Ryoutaro. Concourse participants meet Nakamoto Kyouya, the owner of the ski resort we'll be staying in," introduced Kanayan.

Hino and Tsuchiura sweatdropped a bit when he referred to them as 'concourse participants'.

The teenagers bowed at Nakamoto-san, thanking him for his generosity and hospitality.

"No, no, it's my honor to have a bunch of skilled young musicians perform at my lodge. What do you guys think of performing 4 nights a week? I'd like to have you perform some classical and more contemporary pieces. You'll be free to do whatever you want on the other days."

His last statement was the one Hihara had been eagerly waiting for, and the senpai excitedly asked, "So does that mean we can ski? And snowboard? And, and, and eat at the buffet?"

"Oi! Hihara!" glared Kanazawa-sensei, embarrassed for the junior.

Nakamoto-san laughed good-naturedly and said, "Yes, you can do all of those. You will have full access to the facilites in the lodge- the gym, the sauna, the game room…everything."

A satisfied Hihara grinned and said, "I love this place!"

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The ensemble began their practice later that afternoon, deciding to play a song everyone knew- Salut d' Amour by Elgar. The practice went smoothly; there were very few mistakes to correct, and after a few hours they were able to execute a flawless rendition of the piece. Hihara was the first to suggest taking a break, and everyone, even Tsukimori, agreed that they deserved a break.

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After settling in properly at their own small cabin, Hino wandered around the cabin, a deck of cards in her pocket. She finally found everyone else in the sitting room.

"I have a deck of cards! Anyone want to play?" Hino waved the cards in the air. "Ano, Kaho-senpai," said Fuyuumi, "can I play?" "I"ll join!!" Hihara jumped up, grinning wildly at the red haired girl. Hino looked over at Shimizu, Yunoki, Tsukimori, and Tsuchiura. "What about you guys?"

"Sorry, Hino-san, Shimizu seems to be fast asleep again, and I'm afraid I can't join you. I have to see Kanazawa-sensei about something," Yunoki said apologetically.

Hino inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "That's too bad, Yunoki-senpai. Maybe you can join us some other time."

Yunoki smiled furtively at her. "Maybe I will…anyway, I'm leaving now. See you all later!" he said, and left the room, gently closing the door behind him.

Hino turned to face Tsukimori and Tsuchiura. "Well, that leaves the two of you. Want to play?"

"Ok," The pianist closed the book he was reading and sat down on the floor with the other players. Tsukimori didn't move from his position by the window. Hino was about to speak when she was interrupted by Tsuchiura. "What's wrong, Tsukimori?" he said teasingly. "Is card playing something you aren't good at?"

At this, the blue haired prodigy flinched slightly and turned back to face the window, but not before shooting his rival an icy glare. Hino noticed this and asked him, "Tsukimori-kun? Do you know how to play cards? I'll bet you're good at poker; you have a great poker face," she said jokingly. When she saw that her playfulness wasn't going anywhere, she decided to try a different approach. "Tsukimori-kun, I would be happy to teach you a few card games." At this, he looked up at her and sighed. "If it's the only way for you to stop pestering me, fine."

Tsuchiura glared up at him. "Hey, you don't have to be so rude. Hino was only trying to help."

Fuyuumi, sensing the tension in the room, decided to speak up. "A-ano…why ddd-don't we pick the card game now?"

"Good idea, Fuyuumi-chan! What about…uh…Slap the Jack?"

"Yes, let's play that!!" said Hihara.

"I kinda forgot how to play that game, though." Tsuchiura said. Fuyuumi nodded in agreement.

"That's okay," Hino said cheerfully. "Hihara-senpai and I can teach the game to the three of you."

Tsukimori sighed and stood up to join the other students on the floor.

"Okay, so the objective of Slap the Jack is to basically get rid of all your cards. First, we distribute the cards at random…" Hino shuffled the cards then quickly gave out the cards, face-down. "Then, without looking at the cards, just flip it over in the center of our circle. The person starting has to say ace, even though it isn't an ace. After that, the next person will put down a card and say king, even though the card isn't a king." At this, Tsuchiura and Fuyuumi stared at her blankly.

"What?" said Tsuchiura.

Tsukimori sighed impatiently. "She means to just get a random card from your deck and place it in the center and say ace. The next player will just say the card he or she discards is a king, and the next a queen, and so on."

Hino was pleased. "Wow, Tsukimori-kun, you pick up fast!"

The seventeen year-old prodigy blushed slightly at the compliment, but quickly shrugged it off.

"So, anyway," said Hihara, "the discarding keeps going on and on until a person flips down a jack and says jack. When this happens, everyone has to slap it, like so..." Hihara smacked his palm onto the card on the carpeted floor. "Whoever puts his or her hand down last has to get all the cards from the pile."

"Ohh..." said Tsuchiura. "I get it now. We just keep saying the card names in order, and if it comes to the 'jack' and the card put down is also a jack, we have to slap it fast or else we get all the other cards?" Hihara and Hino nodded.

"Okay, let's try it!"

The game was peaceful and quiet at first, but when Tsukimori put down a Jack and said 'Jack', there was squealing from both the girls AND Hihara, and a flurry of hands went down, not wanting to be the loser. Hino was aware of a large, cold hand on top of hers, kind of clutching it, but very loosely, that she wasn't sure if she had imagined it. It was a nice feeling, and there was a tingly feeling in the pit of her stomach she couldn't explain. The hand was Tsukimori's.

"ARGH!" Hihara said. "I'm last!" The other players chuckled at the senpai's facial expression. "Wow, Kaho-chan, you sure have fast reflexes!" he said to Hino. Tsukimori's and her hands were still on each other, unmoving.

The two violinists suddenly pulled their hands away, becoming aware of everyone's eyes on them. Both of them looked away, blushing slightly.

The group continued to play, with Hihara losing almost all the time. Everyone seemed to have moved on and forgotten about the incident, enjoying Hihara's comical reactions, but Hino couldn't think about anything else, replaying the moment Tsukimori's hand met hers over and over again. She stole a glance at him, his facial expression still nonchalant, but there was a certain glimmer in his eyes…what was it? Happiness? Enjoyment? Satisfaction? Sometimes she wished she could know what he was thinking of, WHO he was thinking of.

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	4. Chapter 4

A/N- just a few minor adjustments to the first part; thanks to AnimeViolinist for critiquing this chapter!

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It was a cold, crisp night at the ski lodge. Soft, twinkling lights illuminated the windows of the snow-covered cabins, the warm glow spilling out of the glass panes. Tonight would be their first performance as an ensemble, and anticipation and excitement hung in the air as everyone was busy getting dressed and practicing a few parts at the last minute. Hino was feeling nervous and excited at the same time. She had practiced very hard, afraid of letting down her friends and fellow performers. She didn't want to disappoint anyone, especially not Tsukimori. It was hard to explain, but for some reason, she really wanted him to hear her music tonight. She wanted him to feel…proud? Amazed? Yes, it was probably all of those things.

The sound of a violin could be heard from one of the rooms in the cabin. Anyone could tell that the person playing was a skilled violinist. The notes were accurate, the tempo precise, and the emotions of the player could be heard through the music. It was Tsukimori.

He had dressed simply, wearing a classic black suit and tie. As he practiced the song again, thoughts of Hino-san flitted across his mind. He was nervous for her. Ever since her performance during the third selection, her playing seemed like that of an amateur, so different from her playing during the previous selections. Yes, it still conveyed all her heart's emotions, and it never failed to captivate him, but he still wanted her to succeed. It irritated him a bit that he was losing his focus on music because of her, but at the same time, a part of him he never knew exsisted was…what? What was this feeling that he had every time he saw her? Every time he heard her music? What was it?

"Oi! You guys get ready! We're expected at the main lodge in less than 20 minutes!" shouted Kanazawa, cutting short Tsukimori's last minute practice. He carefully put his violin back in its case, checked his appearance in the mirror one last time, and turned off the lights in the room and headed downstairs.

Kanazawa-sensei sighed. "Where is that Hino? Why is she always the one we're waiting for? If she isn't down in a minute, I swear, we are going to leave without her."

As though on cue, the redhead chose that moment to appear.

She hurriedly went down the stairs and said, "Gomen, everyone, I lost track of time."

Tsukimori blushed. She looked beautiful, almost… ethereal. The red-haired violinist wore an eggshell white, spaghetti-strapped dress with ruffles at the hem. Small silver sequins twinkled as she walked towards them, the soft material of her dress swishing to and fro. Her bright glossy hair was pulled back in a chignon with a simple silver comb, her bangs framing her face beautifully. He wasn't the only guy to be rendered speechless by her. Hihara, Tsuchiura and Yunoki were also dumbstruck, although Yunoki did a better job of hiding it.

"Y-you look great, Kaho-chan!" Hihara finally said. Tsuchiura nodded.

Hino blushed. "Arigato, Hihara-senpai, Tsuchiura-kun,"

Kanazawa sighed loudly to get their attention. "Oi, I know you guys might be hoping for some romance during winter break, but now at least focus on the performance. We'll be needed at the lodge at around now…so if you guys would be so considerate as to get out of this cabin and get into the car…" he trailed off, staring at them.

The three students, embarrassed, looked down and shuffled off to the car like little children who had been scolded and ordered a "time-out", and the rest of them followed suit.

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A polite round of applause was heard in the grand ballroom of the main lodge as the concourse participants finished playing Salut d'Amour. They bowed and went backstage. As soon as they were out of sight, Hihara burst out, unable to control his cheerfulness any longer.

"That was AMAZING! Who knew performing as an ensemble could be so much FUN!" he exclaimed.

Hino giggled as Kanazawa glared at him, saying, "Hihara! Calm down! Just because they can't see you doesn't mean they can't hear you! Shut up!"

Hihara pouted, and Hino smiled and said, "I think your playing was wonderful, Hihara-senpai."

He grinned and said, "You too, Kaho-chan!"

Hino suddenly felt thirsty, and went out to look for the water dispenser. She found Tsukimori standing by the window, staring out at the bright, scattered lights surrounding the area.

She got herself a cup of cold water and went over to Tsukimori.

"Ne, Tsukimori…"

"Oh, Hino-san," he said. Tsukimori had been staring at the landscape with so much concentration that he had not heard her approach.

"I, uh, I really liked the way you played tonight…it seemed to be softer, more tender…like you seemed to be playing from the heart."

_Because of you, Kaho… _"Arigato, Hino."

A cold breeze wafted in from a small crack from one of the glass panes, making the red-haired beauty shiver a little. Tsukimori noticed, of course; nothing escaped his sharp sense of hearing. Immediately, he shrugged off his black jacket and thrust it in Hino's direction a bit gruffly.

"Here. You might catch a cold. I don't want it to affect the quality of the ensemble's performances the following days."

"A-arigato, Tsukimori-kun,"

Hino blushed prettily, taking the jacket and putting it around her shoulders, her heartbeat going faster.

Tsukimori looked away and gave a small, dry cough to hide his blush.

Hino, naturally, didn't understand that the cough was meant to hide his awkwardness, and said, "Are you thirsty, Tsukimori-kun? I'll get you some water," all the while walking towards the dispenser.

Hino failed to notice a puddle of water near the floor, water she accidentally spilled when she got herself a cup, and she slipped and fell, falling on her backside.

The blue haired violinist immediately rushed to her side and offered her a hand, saying, "Are you all right?" Hino couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu, even through her pain. This was a lot like the time she fell and cut her fingers on the shards of a broken flower vase. She took hold of Tsukimori's hand and tried to pull herself up, but as she tried to stand, a sharp pain in her right ankle made her wince and fall back on the floor, letting out a soft "Ah"

Tsukimori was feeling very stupid. He always acted differently around Hino, and he didn't like it. Just now, when she shivered, he was supposed to put it AROUND her shoulders FOR her, not give it to her and tell her to put it on herself. If his parents found out, they would surely chastise him for his un-gentlemanliness. It wasn't just that. Why did he have to blush?? And what was the cough for?? And why did he always have to get into these uncomfortable situations WITH HER??

He could hear her asking him if he wanted a cup of water, but it didn't matter because she was already walking towards the water dispenser…and fell.

_So clumsy…_ he thought as he speed walked towards her and offered her a hand.

"Are you all right?"

Tsukimori wanted to take back the words as soon as they left his mouth.

_Baka! Of course she isn't all right! You could've said something like, "Can you stand?" or, "Need some help"—no, wait, that's stupid too—of course she needs help!—or does she? I mean, if she can stand on her own, what am I supposed to do to help her? Wait, no, she CAN'T stand on her own. There must be something wrong with her leg or something. Duh, Len, you idiot—she's in pain, look at her!! She can't stand, she's grimacing—now what? Should I carry her? Like, the bridal kind of carry?_

At this point, he didn't really know what he was doing. It was like an out of body experience, picking the redhead up, despite her protests. It felt nice, carrying her like that.

_Whoa. What is Tsukimori-kun doing? _Hino thought as she was swiftly lifted up by the handsome violinist.

"Uh, Tsukimori-kun, there's no need to carry me! Really!"

_He isn't listening to me. This is kind of…comfortable, but uncomfortable at the same time. Does he think I'm heavy? Is my butt to big? Where are my arms supposed to be? Around his neck? Aaaaa!!_



"She has a minor sprain in the right ankle, which isn't that serious, but it might take around a week or two to heal," the doctor said.

Tsukimori had carried Hino to the clinic they had at the lodge, where the phycisian examined Hino's ankle.

Now, the doctor turned to Hino and said, "You'll need a pair of crutches to walk around. It's a good thing you guys will be here for a week, around the same time it takes your sprain to heal, so you don't have to buy them; just borrow a pair from the clinic then return them when you're okay. You might have some difficulty going up and down stairs with them, but that won't be a problem, since your boyfriend here could carry you, ne, Hino-san?"

The doctor gestured to Len and winked at the two of them. Obviously, they both turned red and simultaneous cries of "I-ie, sensei!" and "Hino and I aren't like that" could be heard from even outside the clinic.

"O-oh, gomen, gomen," said the doctor, embarrassed. "I'm really sorry. I just assumed since he came in here carrying you… and besides, you two look really good together," she said to Hino. Len couldn't help but feel annoyed at the doctor for making these baseless assumptions; after all, an educated and scientific woman like her—she was, after all, a doctor—shouldn't just jump to conclusions without facts, but, at the same time, Len felt a little elated at her comment that they looked good together. _Take that, Tsuchiura!_


	5. Chapter 5

A/N- No big changes, really. I just corrected the minor grammatical errors I noticed while rereading

Hino stared up at the ceiling, mentally tracing every line on the ceiling. Her eyes focused on the light fixture in the center of the room, memorizing every detail, from the curved metal poles securing it to the ceiling, to the frosted glass etchings on the glass cover-- she couldn't be sure, but the etchings looked like intricate spiderwebs and delicate snowflakes in a dizzying circular pattern-- and the shiny metal bolts fastening the glass cover in place.

Inwardly, she sighed to herself. For the last hour--or was it two?--she had been lying on her bed fixing her attention on anything and everything in the room. By now, Hino was able to remember all the details of the rosewood table on the opposite side of the room, the gold-plated table lamp on top of it, the pattern on the cushioned chair by the draped window, and now, the design on the light fixture directly above her.

What do I do now? The doctor advised me to rest, but I don't feel like it right now..its as though I have all this energy in me...I want to play the violin...I want a glass of water...

*flashback*

"Are you sure, Hino-chan?" asked Hihara, a worried look creasing his fine features. "I could stay here with you, if you want..."

"Iie, Hihara-senpai, its alright. I'll be fine here by myself--actually, not by myself, since Tsukimori won't be leaving either. You should go with the others and have fun. I remember you being so excited about being able to try snowboarding and skiing and using the hot tub..." said Hino. She was sitting on her bed, the pillows propped up behind her. Today was a free day for them; they didn't have any performances that night. The concourse participants, not including Hino, because of her ankle injury, and Len, because...well, because he didn't want to, all had plans to explore the ski lodge. It was a great day, the weather chilly, but not too much, and the sun, behind a thin sheet of gray, bruise-colored clouds, still cast a pale light on the snow-capped peaks. Shimizu and Fuyuumi had already gone out a few hours ago to check out the library at the rec center. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, considering the other first class amenities the resort housed, the library housed a vast collection of books, from old, leather-bound classics, to more recent popular bestsellers. No one knew where Kanazawa had went, although Hino had her suspicions that he was living it up at the bar, smoking cigarettes, pack by cellophane-wrapped pack, and drinking a scotch on the rocks. Right now, Tsuchiura, Yunoki, and Hihara were planning to check out the mountains and try skiing. Hihara, though, was having second thoughts. He was torn between the call of the freshly fallen snow and his desire to spend some quality time with his crush.

A/N-(wow. i really messed this up. anyone, help me rephrase the previous statement? please?)

The olive-haired trumpet player still looked unconvinced, so Hino said, "When my ankle gets better, I'll go out with you. We can have fun together then, but you really should go with Tsuchiura-kun and Yunoki-senpai. They're going to try the skiing today, right?"

"Well...okay..."

*end of flashback*

In the end, Hihara decided to go with the other guys, leaving Hino and Len alone in the cabin, but not before Tsuchiura had fiercely warned Tsukimori to take care of her, _or else_.

"If you need anything, just tell me," Tsukimori had said after the others had left, his beautiful golden eyes remaining cold, partially hidden amongst stray strands of bright blue hair.

He had told her to just call for him if she needed anything, but his detached tone had told her to do otherwise. Now, her throat was dry and more than a little parched. In the quiet of the well-lit bedroom, sunlight streaming in throught the windows, curtains pulled away, she could hear strains of music drifting up from one of the rooms downstairs. She wasn't sure, but it sounded like Beethoven's violin concerto. The song was so different when compared to the pieces Tsukimori had played during the concourse. His pieces back then were all fast, pieces that required lightning fast hands and fingers that could travel across the fingerboard and back in less than a few seconds. They were all songs that could really catch your attention, splendid and majestic in all their grandeur. Lately, though, he had taken to playing more mellow songs, songs that were sweet and comforting and slow.

"I guess I really have to ask Tsukimori-kun for water.." she sighed reluctantly. She didn't want to disturb him, especially now, when he was practicing. She knew from experience that the blue haired violinist could be more than a little touchy when he was interrupted during one of his sacred practice hours...then her eyes drifted to the pair of crutches leaning by the bedpost near the fluffy white goose feather pillows.

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The wooden violin bow moved across the strings smoothly, slowly, the horsehair strands sliding effortlessly over the steel strings. Tsukimori Len finished the piece with a beautiful vibrato. Carefully putting down the violin and securing it in its case, he ventured to the small kitchen in the cabin.

The "kitchen" was actually only a tiled room with a sink, a small marble countertop, a mini fridge, and the table and chairs. No one really cooked anything there, since people usually ate at the restaurants in the main lodge. Tsukimori opened the door to the fridge and looked in, trying to find something to drink. He took out a can of chilled coffee and poured the contents into a ceramic mug. The fragrant smell of coffee wafted to his nose as he brought the mug to his lips. As he slowly drank the bitter drink, he thought of what had happened earlier that day.

"If you need anything, just tell me," he had said to Kaho--or, rather, Hino--when the other performers had left, leaving the two of them in the lodge. He had tried to say it in a nice and happy way, but, from the look on her face, he had failed miserably.

_Why do I keep thinking about her? _he wondered. _I have to focus on my music. I've been working too hard to live up to my parents' reputations, to my own expectations to just let it all go to waste_--

His thoughts were interrupted by a series of dull thuds coming from upstairs. _That must be her. What is she doing up there?_ wondered Tsukimori, taking his mug and walking towards the stairs. He was a few paces away from the foot of the stairs when there sounded a clatter of wood and aluminum. His eyes widened in panic and horror as he dropped the mug on the floor, the ceramic shattering, dark brown liquid quickly spreading across the white floor. "Kaho!!"


	6. Chapter 6

"KAHO-CHAN! Tsukimori-kun! We're back!!" an excited Hihara called from the doorway, nearly forgetting to wipe his feet on the mat. Luckily, Tsuchiura stopped him from entering the house even more, before he tracked melted snow-and-dirt footprints on the pristine white floor. Quickly scuffing his boots on the 'welcome' rug, he bounded into the villa and practically ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, with the rest of the group trailing less enthusiastically behind entered first Hino's room and found her marking a music score with a pencil, humming the tune to herself. She looked up and smiled cheerily at them.

"Hi guys!" she said.

"How was your afternoon, Hino?" asked Tsuchiura.

"Uh..." Memories of that afternoon flashed through her mind like a vivid dream--or maybe a nightmare. "I-it was fine," she forced herself to say with a grin that was too huge to be real.

Yunoki sensed her discomfort and made a mental note to "ask" her about this later, filing it away in his brain. Right now, he'd let her believe that he fell for her ruse.  
"Well, anyway, you'd better get ready. We're going to go to dinner in a few minutes," said Kanazawa-sensei.  
"Hai, sensei," she said.  
"Okay, okay, all the guys out. Including you, Hihara," said the teacher, leaving the room with the Tsuchiura and Yunoki.

The olive haired trumpet player turned the same shade of Hino's hair when he realized that he was the only guy in the room with Fuyuumi and Hino. "G-g-g-gomen, Fuyuumi-chan, Kaho-chan!!!!" He bowed quickly and sped out of the room, screaming, "Kanayan!!"

During the course of the dinner, Tsukimori and Hino did their best to pretend nothing had happened. He didn't have any trouble with this, of course, since Tsukimori wasn't one for conversing. He sat quietly at the table, eating his mushroom risotto, while the others did the talking. On one side of the table sat Hihara, Tsuchiura, Hino, and Yunoki, while on the other side sat Kanazawa, Tsukimori, Shimizu, and Fuyuumi. Most of the talking was done, unsurprisingly, by Hihara, who did more chattering than eating. Hino was trying her best to act normal, even though other thoughts threatened to occupy her mind. She sipped her iced tea and looked up from the plate of penne she had ordered, and immediately locked gazes with Tsukimori, who was sitting directly across her. Both parties quickly looked away, which, once again, did not go unnoticed by the observant violet-haired senpai sitting next to Hino.

"E-excuse me for a minute, minna-san, I just have to go to the ladies' room," Hino abruptly stood up, the padded wooden chair she was sitting on scraping the floor. Yunoki stood up as well.  
"Let me escort you, Hino-san," he said, offering her a charming smile and a gaze that said, "Let me, or else."

They went off in search of the ladies' room together. Hino walked quickly, as though by this action she would be able to shake him off. Unfortunately, he grabbed her elbow in an iron grip, forcing her to slow down and walk beside him. To the other diners, the two students simply looked like a couple walking together, but, had they heard the snide tone with which Yunoki spoke to Hino, they would have reconsidered their previous assumptions.

"What happened between you and Tsukimori-kun this afternoon, _Kahoko_?"

Hino froze when she heard Yunoki ask that, but she shook herself and said, "N-nothing, Yunoki-senpai." She did not notice where they were going, and she found herself suddenly trapped inside the ladies' room with Yunoki leaning on the door, blocking any chance of escape available.

"Really, Kahoko?" he purred, tipping her chin up with his fingers. "You might as well tell me now, since I'm going to find out sooner or later."

The violinist swallowed hard, desperately trying to think of an excuse, a way to escape, a distraction--anything to get herself away. Fortunately, she was saved by a familiar voice calling from outside the door.

"Ano, Kaho-senpai? Kanazawa-sensei asked me to see how you were doing. Everyone else is finished...and..." Fuyuumi trailed away.

Yunoki leaned in close and said, "You got lucky this time, Kahoko, but I'll find out." and turned to open the door.

Fuyuumi was surprised to discover that the person who opened the door was not Kaho-senpai, but rather, Yunoki-senpai. She blushed, wondering what the two had done in there. "Gomenasai, Fuyuumi-san," said Yunoki. "I'm sorry we took so long. Hino-san thought she saw a spider in the comfort room, so I went in to kill it, but it was nothing after all, right, Hino-san?"

"Ah, yes, gomen, Fuyuumi-san." she said

_Saved by the bell,_ thought Hino as they walked back to the table. _I'll have to do a better job hiding it than I am now. That was close. Too close._

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Tsukimori sat in the backseat of the car as they drove back to the villa. He stared out the windows and saw nothing but an endless dark sky. It was a clear, cloudless night tonight, with dozens and dozens of brilliant, tiny white stars dotting the night sky. _It has nothing to hide._

His thoughts drifted to Hino. She had done a terrible job of acting like nothing had happened, stammering all the time and looking guilty. _Has Yunoki began to suspect something?_ he wondered.

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A/N- sorry this chapter is a bit short (well, actually it's the shortest of all) but the next one will be better. I'm not giving up the secret yet... but it shall be revealed in the next one


	7. Chapter 7

A/N- okay, this is the chapter that explains what happened after the cliffie in chapter 5..Actually, i was almost done with this chapter earlier, but i suffered from a power outage because of damn 'Ondoy"...so i couldn't post it right away...darn typhoon!! I put in the other chapter first to make the suspense even more...suspense-y...(is there a word for that?)... I'm explaining this since I don't really know how to explain that in the actual chapter, or if I even SHOULD explain, since it's pretty obvious, or maybe it isn't...oh, crap. I'm ranting again. Sorry, sorry. I'll stop blabbering. And now...presenting...(dun dun dun dun dunnnn...)...CHAPTER 7!

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*flashback*

"I can do it myself, can't I? I have crutches, and it can't be that hard to go down the stairs with them...yes, that's right..." Slowly, she heaved herself off the bed, gripping the headboard for extra support, and struggled to grab ahold of her crutches. Awkwardly limp-hopping to the door and out of the room, the two staffs made dull thumps on the floor as she slowly made her way towards the stairs.

_"Okay, one step at a time, Kaho. Left crutch, then right crutch. Then left crutch, then right crutch. Don't slip. Don't slip." _Hino softly spoke to herself as she made her way down the stairs. As she reached the halfway step, she silently congratulated herself for being able to keep her balance, when suddenly, the crutch slipped and she let go. Hino found herself tumbling towards the ground. As she fell, she heard the clattering of the crutches falling with her.

Hino even thought she heard someone yell "Kaho!" and the shattering of something...and was that the smell of coffee? Could it be Tsukimori? No, impossible, he would never call her Kaho, as formal as he was, and he would definitely, certainly not break something. Clumsy accidents like that happened to her all the time, but never to someone as poised and composed as Tsukimori.

_I must've just been imagining things._

She braced herself for the painful impact of the cold, hard, expensively-tiled floor, squeezing her eyes shut, but it never happened. Instead of the painful feeling she had been anticipating, Hino Kahoko found herself landing in the arms of Tsukimori Len. A slightly panting, worried-looking Tsukimori Len. She looked up at him, a bit surprised.

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"Kaho!"  
The mug fell to the floor, shattering to pieces, but Tsukimori didn't care. Before his eyes was Hino, falling to the ground, eyes squeezed shut. She was going to fall.

He raced over to the stairs to try and catch her. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, sweat covering his forehead. Sweat.

Tsukimori Len was one of those people who rarely broke into a sweat. The temperature had to be over 90 degrees just for him to unbutton his white Seiso blazer and loosen the red scarf he wore. He rarely got stage fright, too. At a tender age, he had already been performing solo concerts in front of vast audiences. The only time his hands turned clammy was when his parents were going to go and watch him play, but never because of a girl.

Now, all he could think about was getting there in time to save the one girl he respected and admired, the one girl who had taught him that music was a gift to share to the world, and not an obligation.

She fell into his arms, safe and sound, if not a bit frazzled. He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, careful not to make it audible. Now was certainly not the time to show her how much he truly cared about her. He had already slipped up by calling her Kaho when she was falling. Hopefully, she didn't hear him say that.

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"Didn't I tell you call me if you needed anything?" Tsukimori said angrily. His mouth was set in its typical grim line, but the teenager's brilliant, bright gold eyes reflected relief and concern at the same time. He stood up abruptly, Hino still in his arms.

"What if I had not been there to catch you? What if you had bumped your head? Or worse, broken your neck, or even cracked your skull? You could've died!" Tsukimori continued to scold Hino, carrying her up the stairs all the while.

"I-I'm sorry, Tsukimori-kun. It was foolish of me, I know. It's just that I was thirsty, and, and I didn't want to disturb you since you were practicing..." Hino trailed off, sounding remorseful.

"Foolish is right," Tsukimori said, but this time his tone had softened. _This happened because she didn't want to disturb me...because she respected my obsessive need to practice without distractions...was it also because she was...was scared of me?_  
"Hino, you are my responsibility now. When something happens to you, I will be held responsible," he insisted.

They were now standing outside the doorway of Hino's and Fuyuumi-chan's room. Tsukimori carried her in and slowly bowed down to lower her onto the bed. With their faces so close, Hino could smell her rescuer's breath. _Coffee..._

She didn't imagine those things. The shattering sound, the spilled coffee, "Kaho!"...

She was lying on the bed now, Len's face directly above hers, so close to hers. He was about to take his arms out from under her when suddenly, instinctively,she grabbed his soft cotton shirt, pulling him towards her, their noses touching.

"You called me Kaho," she whispered, her words sounding more like a statement than the question it was intended to be.

Tsukimori's eyes widened at what Hino said. _She heard! She knows! Now what? What does she think of me now? I called her Kaho. Its too intimate--_

_"Len."_

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
_

Hino had to make a choice. She could either let go of him, and never know, and never understand what had just transpired, or she could dive in.

_Carpe diem. _Seize the day. She had read that somewhere, just a week ago, just a few days before the trip. Hino remembered how she had admired the quote, thinking, _This is my life's motto now. Carpe diem. Seize the day. Just dive in._

So that's what she did.

The strawberry- haired girl squashed any thoughts of chickening out, and, before she could stop herself, said softly,shyly, "_Len_."

The girl raised her head to meet his, and, as though he knew what she was thinking, as though he had read her thoughts, he, too, leaned down to shorten the gap between them. Their lips met, brushing lightly, then, tentatively, hesitantly pressed together, as though unsure of their own actions.

It felt--it felt-- indescribable, really. In Hino's chest blossomed this strange warmth, sending goosebumps down her spine. She felt Tsukimori's lips curve into a smile-- an actual, genuine smile!-- and she sighed with happiness. His lips were surprisingly soft, and she could still taste the coffee he had been drinking--

Suddenly, as though shocked by electricity, Len bolted away from her, face flushed.

"I-- forgive me, Hino-san, I don't know what I was doing--water, right? I--I'll be back in a moment. Excuse me."

He had barely finished speaking when he abruptly turned on his heel and strode out of the room, leaving Hino on the bed, hurt and confused.

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Tsukimori brisk-walked, practically ran, down the stairs, his mind racing. Did that just happen? Did he, Tsukimori Len, kiss the girl of his dreams, Hino Kahoko? Did she really call him Len? He brought his fingers to his lips, face still flushed.

_No, Len, no distractions. You've come so close, so close to getting what you wanted since childhood. You can't let her in, not yet, anyway._ _Right now, the violin is your priority._

He planted both hands on the marble countertop in the kitchen for support. Right again.

His cold, rational side was right, always right. No distractions. No Hino. Nothing. Nothing but music

Walking over to the refrigerator, he grabbed another ceramic mug near the sink and took a pitcher of water from the kitchen island. Putting them both in a tray, he went out of the kitchen and stopped by the foot of the stairs to retrieve the pair of crutches on the floor, pushing back all thoughts of what had happened between him and Hino earlier. Making a mental note to clear up the coffee spill on his way back down, Tsukimori paused to take a deep breath and rearrange the features on his face to form the usual cold expression he wore around everyone, and went up the stairs with the water and the crutches.

He entered her room quietly, hoping she had fallen asleep, dreading the awkwardness that would surely come between him and her after what had happened. No such luck. Hino was wide awake, sitting up on the bed waiting for him. Before she could say anything, he cut her off and said, "Hino-san, I apologize for what had happened earlier. We were both probably in a state of shock; that's why-- that's why _that_ happened. I would appreciate it if you would pretend nothing happened."

The cold way he said it shocked Hino into silence, her hurt feelings clearly showing on her face. It pained him to see her like this, even more because he was the one who had caused this pain. She nodded mutely, and he placed the tray on the bedside table and leaned the crutches by the bed, careful not to meet her eyes, which were trying to catch his attention. He quickly went out of the room and left her, yet again, confused and hurt.

*flashback*


	8. Chapter 8

"I would appreciate it if you would pretend nothing happened." _But why? Why would he want to pretend nothing happened? We kissed, didn't we? Did I just imagine the smile on his face when we were kissing? He called me Kaho. I called him Len. What--what __**happened**__?_

Hino stood by the full-length glass window on the second floor of the cabin, staring out at the night sky. It was already 2 in the morning; she was the only one awake. Being unable to sleep because of this problem that plagued her, the violinist had snuck out of the bedroom, careful not to awaken the others. Leaning on her crutches, she stared out into the sky with such deep concentration that she didn't hear the footsteps coming towards her.

"Hino."

She jumped slightly and slowly turned around, dreading whom she might see. Hino exhaled audibly when she found, to her relief, that it was not Tsukimori or Yunoki.

Tsuchiura stood in front of her, dark green hair sticking up from his head like the top of a pineapple. His arms were folded across his chest, obscuring the faded soccer club logo on the front of the washed-out T-shirt he was wearing.

"Tsuchiura-kun! You scared me," said Hino. "Why are you still up?"

"I could be asking you the same question. I woke up when I heard your crutches," he replied.

Hino grimaced. Looks like her plan to not wake the others up did not go so well.

"Well? Why are you still up? Is something bothering you? You've been acting different since we got back from outside," he asked again. "You can tell me, Hino. What's wrong?" he looked at her searchingly.

A part of her wanted to tell Tsuchiura, tell him everything. He was so protective and kind; he reminded her of her own big brother, who was abroad right now. She knew that she could trust him to not judge her or tell other people what she told him, but something inside her told her not to. This was not his problem, it was between her and Tsukimori. There was no reason for her to drag him into this, especially taking into consideration the hostile atmosphere between him and their fellow sophomore.

She shook her head furiously, eyes quickly starting to fill with tears. Staring hard at the floor, she said, "I- I can't,"

"It has something to do with Tsukimori, doesn't it?"  
Tsuchiura felt a pang in his heart when she looked up at him so quickly, with an unreadable expression on her porcelain face. _It does._

He strode over to her quickly, and awkwardly patted her back. "You can tell me, Hino. Remember, I'll always be here for you?" When she heard this Hino let go of all the tears she had been holding in, and decided to tell him. Sitting down on the leather couch nearby, she started from the glass of water to the heroic act Tsukimori had performed, to the kiss they shared on her bed. Tsuchiura's heart broke to pieces when he heard about this, but struggled to keep himself from punching a hole in the wall. _  
Hino really loves him,_ he realized, hearing the way she spoke, with such tenderness and love, even after the way he treated her after, _and I'm willing to bet that Tsukimori, that Ice Cube, feels the same way._ He felt like screaming in frustration, in jealousy, but kept himself together for Hino.

"...really thankful that I can talk to you, Tsuchiura-kun, I really am," she was saying. "I feel a lot better now that I told someone about this. Thanks a lot." She offered him a slightly wobbly smile, squeezing his hand. He returned it with a tight-lipped grin.

Walking back to the room that he shared with Hihara, Tsuchiura had this insane urge to barge into Tsukimori's room right at that moment and scream at him, "_You idiot! Don't you know how lucky you are to be the one Hino's fallen for? She's crying her eyes out right now because of you! That's how much you mean to her! You're too focused on your music to care about anything or anyone else, even someone as special as Hino Kahoko. How can you not realize that you're in love with her too?!" _  
But of course, he couldn't. Hino had put all her trust in him by telling him what had happened; he couldn't just run around screaming his head off about this matter. Still, he couldn't help but feel upset by what he had just learned. _  
That Tsukimori really is an idiot when it comes to things not related to music._

The bright, sunny morning the next day refreshed Hino's spirits, turning her back into something like her old, cheerful self. This was a very good thing, especially since they were going to rehearse the two songs they would be performing next. Kanazawa-sensei and Yunoki-senpai had arranged the pieces for an ensemble: "Sway" and "Save the Last Dance for Me" by Michael Buble. Hino found the two contemporary songs considerably simpler than classical pieces. She played them with ease, and found she had enjoyed playing them so much she nearly forgot all about Tsukimori. But not quite. The other concourse participants were free to take a break while Hihara-senpai practiced his trumpet solos. Hino resolved to forget all about what seemed to have done just that, and he was doing fine, fine for him anyway.

A problematic Tsukimori Len looked exactly like the usual Tsukimori Len...unless the usual Tsukimori Len was already problematic... Hino shook herself; what was she thinking?_ No Tsukimori, Kaho. Don't think about Tsukimori. It'll just ruin the rest of your vacation._

Standing up from the chair she had been sitting on while practicing, the red-haired girl went over to Fuyuumi. "Ne, Fuyuumi-chan, would you like to go to the coffee shop with me? Hihara-senpai probably won't be finished anytime soon," she said.  
Fuyuumi smiled at her shyly and agreed. The two girls went out of the practice room and together they went to the cafe just outside in the lobby. Hino was immediately drawn to the glassed-in displays of sweets. Her eyes roamed the rows and rows of pastries, cakes, mousses, and delicacies with unpronounceable names. Fuyuumi had ordered a slice of red velvet cake, the scarlet-colored sweet laced with light, creamy white frosting and garnished with red candy sprinkles on top. She had already sat down at a table, but Hino was still deciding. She was torn between the gigantic banana cupcake with caramel buttercream icing, the tempting pastry covered in white frosting with dashes of honey-brown swirls of caramel, and the slice of angel's food cake, the doughnut shaped cake drizzled with cream and topped with bright berries. Finally deciding on the latter, she paid for her order and sat down at the table, eager to dig into the tempting cake.  
"Itadakimasu!" she said cheerfully, and bit into the pastry.

"So, Fuyuumi-chan," said Hino after a few more bites of cake. "What's going on between you and Shimizu-kun?"  
Fuyuumi choked on her red velvet cake and turned beet red upon hearing this question. "Uh, nothing's going on, Kaho-senpai, why do you ask?"

"Well, the two of you DID go to the library together, didn't you?"

"Well, yes..."

"Did Shimizu ask you to go with him?" Hino asked eagerly, the glint in her eye not unlike Amou-san's when the journalist was bugging her about the violin romance.

"Well, yes..." Fuyuumi was beginning to shy away; she had come along because she wanted to enjoy cake with her senpai, not because she wanted to gossip about her own love life.

Hino was about to press the first year student for more information when she noticed Fuyuumi sinking more and more into her chair. The violinist sat back, embarrassed. "Gomenasai, Fuyuumi-chan, I'm being too nosy. Never mind all my questions," she said apologetically. They spent the next few minutes eating in silence when suddenly Fuyuumi said, "Kaho-senpai,"  
Hino looked up. "Yeah?"

Fuyuumi blushed and looked down. "A-ano...about Shimizu-kun..."

"Yeah?"

"I-I like h-him. Shimizu-kun,"

Hino's eyes bugged out when she heard this. "Eeehh?!?!"

The other patrons in the cafe turned to look at the two girls; some had amused expressions on their faces, and others shot them looks of annoyance...like Tsukmori when people disturbed him--_No Tsukimori, Kaho!! Pay attention to Fuyuumi-chan!!_ The kouhai was still blushing furiously while fiddling with her thumbs.  
"I thought maybe I could get advice from you," she continued, "since senpai is so good with guys."

By now, the violinist's eyes had expanded to the size of plates. "Wh-what do you mean, 'good with guys'??"

"Well, whenever Kaho-senpai is in the room, the other senpais tend to act differently...especially Hihara-senpai."

"Wha-what? Really? How come I don't notice?"

Fuyuumi was amazed by how perceptive Hino was when it came to music, but could be unbelievably dense about matters concerning the opposite sex. "It's true, Kaho-senpai. I-I wanted to ask for advice...about that...about Shimizu-kun..." she trailed away.

Kaho shook herself and focused on what Fuyuumi was saying. "There's nothing to worry about, Fuyuumi-chan. I think Shimizu really likes you, too."

The younger girl was about to say something, but Hino continued. "You said he invited you to go with him to check out the library, and, while that isn't really considered an ideal first date, it's the best you can get, coming from Shimizu. And I remember seeing him wish you luck before your performance during the final concourse, riiight?" Hino waggled her eyebrows jokingly, coaxing a small giggle out of her kouhai. "Don't worry, Fuyuumi-chan," she said gently, patting the other girl's hand. "I'm sure you won't have any trouble with Shimizu-kun if you just stay yourself."

"Arigato, Kaho-sen-- A-ah, Tsukimori-senpai,"

Hino turned to look back at what Fuyuumi was looking at--and came to face Tsukimori's abdomen. _No stomach,_ she couldn't help but think.

"Kanazawa-sensei has ordered me to find the two of you. We are starting practice again," he said coolly.

"O-oh. Arigato, Tsukimori-kun," Hino said, forcing herself to meet his eyes and give him a tight smile. He spun on his heel and walked away from them, not even bothering to acknowledge her. _As though nothing happened._


	9. Chapter 9

a/n- here it is, chapter 9! Sorry for the long wait, though…

The rest of the week flew by as Hino and Tsukimori continued to avoid each other the best they could, practicing separately whenever it was possible. She pushed him out of her mind, focusing solely on the pieces they would play.

_Music is something to share to others, its beauty, its sound, and the emotions it carries with it, be it joy or sadness or anger or love. _

This was something she had learned along the way, while she had taken part in the concourse. She believed in it wholeheartedly then--she still believed in it wholeheartedly now--and she concentrated on pouring it all out in her music. It was the only time she could let it all out, all her confusion, all her sadness, all her feelings for Tsukimori, when she was playing the violin. Everyone noticed, of course. Her playing had gotten better, possibly even sounding like her playing when the violin still had magic powers, but only Tsuchiura and Tsukimori knew why such change had overcome her. Everyone else assumed it was because of all the practice.

* * *

Setting aside the incident with Tsukimori, she had really enjoyed her stay at the ski resort. Hino had learned so many new songs, and she thoroughly enjoyed playing with the other concourse participants...but she dreaded the free days she was going to spend stuck at the lodge...with HIM. They had already performed 4 times, and, as Nakamoto-san had promised, they were spending the last two days of the week free to do whatever they wanted. Kanazawa, Shimizu, and Fuyuumi had already headed out a few hours ago, the sensei back to the bar, where, apparently, they made a mean flaming Dr. Pepper. The two kouhais were going out on their first official date.

Fuyuumi had worked up the nerve to confess her feelings for Shimizu a day after she had that talk with Hino, and, unsurprisingly, the curly-haired cellist felt the same way about her. The rest of the group sighed an "At-last-they're-together" sigh when the two announced their status as a couple. Hino was happy for them, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel a pang of envy, seeing the two of them together. If Shimizu and Fuyuumi could be lucky enough to have each other, why was her relationship with Tsukimori so difficult to figure out? It didn't help matters when his attitude toward her was so cold.

The strawberry-haired girl shook her head and turned back to concentrate on the book she was reading when Hihara and Tsuchiura walked into her room.

"Yo, Hino," said Tsuchiura.

"Hey, guys," she said, smiling. "Where are you going?"

"Over to the slopes again! Man, Kaho-chan, you would love skiing!" Hihara exclaimed. His reluctance to leave Hino behind on the first rest day had completely been forgotten when he saw the smooth, powdery-white snow on the mountains.

"Where'sYunoki?"

"Oh, well, he's busy fixing his hair. The last time we skied, his ponytail came loose and his hair just started whipping him in the face-- while he was going downhill!" laughed the olive-haired senpai.

Tsuchiura and Hino laughed with him, as the vision of the normally graceful flute player having a hard time with his long, silky hair appeared in their mind's eye.

"I see you're telling that story again, Hihara," came a voice from the doorway. Yunoki leaned against the doorframe, smiling, but slightly flustered.

"Go-gomen, Yunoki!!" Hihara grinned sheepishly. "It really WAS funny..."

The violet-haired flutist laughed good-naturedly. "Okay, okay, I accept your apology, but we have to get going, if we want to try the other slopes."

"Okay. Tsuchiura and I were just going to say goodbye to Kaho-chan," replied Hihara, and turned to face Hino. "Well, bye, Kaho-chan, see you at dinner!"

"Bye," Tsuchiura put in, looking like he wanted to say something else. Instead, he shot the girl a meaningful glance, hoping she'd understand what it meant. Hino nodded and smiled tightly, showing she understood so he and his senpais left for the slopes.

Hino sighed as she heard the front door swing open, and moments later, slam shut behind the three boys. Well, that was it. She and Tsukimori alone in the house. Great.  
It wasn't that she hated him, really, this was just very complicated. That stare Tsuchiura sent her a while ago didn't really help things, either. If she was right, and she thought she was, that stare said, "Good luck with spending the rest of the day with that Ice Cube, but if he hurts you one more time, tell me and I'll punch his lights out."

The girl sighed again and glanced out her window. The sky was a murky gray today, not like the first rest day they had, where the weather had been perfect. Actually, her mood had been pretty good that day too, until Tsukimori decided that the kiss they shared had been a mistake and left her hanging. The redhead closed her book; sighed, hoping the weather would improve, closed her eyes and went to sleep as the melody of Beethoven's Violin Romance No. 2 drifted throughout the lodge.

* * *

Waking up a few hours later, Hino sat up in her bed…and found Tsukimori sitting by her side, sleeping. The boy was leaning forward, arms resting on his thighs, head bent forward. In a rare moment, Hino saw a calm Tsukimori Len, one that was not scowling, one that didn't look at others with contempt or disregard.

This teenager's face was smooth, free of the wrinkles and creases that came with his normal, annoyed expression. His long bangs fell over his eyes, and a small sound escaped his lips as he slumbered. Hino vaguely remembered her science teacher saying that sleep talking, or parasomnia, could be a sign of stress.

_Well, that makes sense. Tsukimori-kun hardly ever smiles, and I'll bet he's really pressured, being the son of musically-inclined parents. _

She continued to stare, but then thought, _I'd better wake him up. Who knows how he'd react if he knew I watched him sleep…_

"Ano, Tsukimori-kun--"

He woke suddenly, and his face flushed when he realized he had fallen asleep. "H-hino—when did you wake up?" he demanded.

"Uh, just now…" she lied. "Why?" It should be important, since he'd never approach her if it wasn't urgent.

"I got a call from Kanazawa-sensei while you were sleeping. The blizzard is one of the worst ever in this area, and there's snow everywhere. He and the others are snowed in at the main lodge. They won't be able to get back until tomorrow, if we're lucky."

_Blizzard?_ Turning to look outside the window, Hino was surprised to see nothing but white. While she had been sleeping peacefully, a raging snowstorm had trapped her friends in the cavernous main building. She worried about them, even though Tsukimori had said that they were all trapped in the large building. That meant Hihara and the others weren't lost outside in the mountains. Thinking of Hihara-senpai made Hino remember his parting words.

_"Well, bye, Kaho-chan, see you at dinner!"_

Dinner! How were they going to eat dinner? Hino was worried for a few moments, then remembered she had brought food with her from back home. It was meager compared to the rich, plentiful foods they had grown accustomed to from the main lodge's restaurants, but it would have to do. As though Tsukimori had read her mind, his stomach began to growl loudly.

* * *

_Piano…then fortissimo… _RING! RING! The shrill ring of the telephone made Tsukimori screech to a halt. He gently laid his violin back in its case, and, shaking his head in annoyance, strode over to the still-ringing phone.

"Yes," he said curtly, making sure his annoyance was clear to the person on the other end of the line.

"Oi, Tsukimori." It was Kanazawa.

"What do you want, sensei?"

"Hey, now, don't be like that," the teacher said teasingly. "Is it so wrong for me to check up on my two violinists?"

"…what do you want, sensei?" Tsukimori tapped his foot impatiently. Games like these were already considered inappropriate for people Hihara-senpai's age, what more this middle-aged sandal-clad music teacher?

Kanazawa sighed. Kids were getting more and more serious nowadays. Why, during his time, it was considered normal for high-school students to still play games like tag…Glancing over at Hihara, who was ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the display of clay dolls at the gift shop, the sensei changed his mind. Maybe Tsukimori was the exception.

"Well," he said, getting serious, "There's a blizzard. The weather forecasters over here say it's one of the strongest ever. In fact, we're already snowed in. You and Hino will be spending the night there by yourselves."

"Oh." Tsukimori could think of nothing else to say. He was still processing it. Blizzard. Snowed in. Hino. Him. Alone. No Tsuchiuras. A part of Tsukimori was already leaping for joy, but the rational side quickly squelched it.

"Now, don't you go doing anything stupid with Hino," Kanazawa joked again.

Tsukimori chose not to dignify that with an answer. "Good-bye, sensei," he said coldly, putting down the phone a bit too violently.

_I should tell Ka—Hino,_ Tsukimori thought, already walking up the stairs. He knocked on the open door, but discovered she was sleeping. He didn't know what made him do it, but Tsukimori found himself drawing up a chair beside her bed to sit on it. As he watched her sleep, his mind went back to that night on the train, when he did the same thing. This time, though, he found his eyelids were growing heavy. _I suppose I've been pushing myself too hard…_ was the last thing on his mind before he, too, fell asleep.

"Ano, Tsukimori-kun--" The sound of Hino's voice made the boy open his eyes reluctantly. Upon realizing he had fallen asleep—and that Hino had woken up before him—what if she had been watching him?—he instantly snapped to attention and demanded, "H-hino—when did you wake up?"

"Uh, just now…"

_She's lying, _he thought.

"Why?"

"I got a call from Kanazawa-sensei while you were sleeping. The blizzard is one of the worst ever in this area, and there's snow everywhere. He and the others are snowed in at the main lodge. They won't be able to get back until tomorrow, if we're lucky."

He watched as she turned to look out the window. Like him, she hadn't noticed the snowstorm raging outside. Suddenly, his stomach started growling.

"A-ah, gomenasai…" Tsukmori trailed away as his face quickly turned a bright red.

_WHY does this always happen when I'm around her?? First, I fall asleep on her, now this…_

"Ano, Tsukimori-kun,"

He turned to see that Hino was getting off the bed slowly, struggling a bit with her crutches. Tsukimori resisted his impulse to help her, reminding himself to stay away as much as possible.

"It's not much, but it's all I brought with me. We can have it for dinner," continued Hino, while rummaging through her duffel bag. She held up two instant noodle cups, a shy, almost apologetic look on her face. He felt a pang when he saw her face; she was already offering him food, but still looked embarrassed about it; he, on the other hand, if he had brought food with him, the thought of offering her some wouldn't have been the first thing on his mind.

"Thank you," he said, taking one of the cups.

"A-ano, Tsukimori-kun…"

"What?"

"Eh, well, I was wondering if you knew how to cook instant noodles…"

He gave her a stare and said, with a slight hint of hurt, "All I have to do is pour hot water and wait a few minutes. I'm sure I can manage that."

"Oh, okay," she laughed nervously. "I just thought, well, since you didn't know the difference between an oven and a microwave…" recalling the incident at Fuyuumi's villa, which Tsuchiura had gleefully recounted to her after.

Tsukimori, at a loss for words, spun on his heels and headed down to the kitchen to get some water, feeling a bit annoyed at Hino, and at Tsuchiura, who he was sure told her that story. He was halfway down when he remembered her still upstairs, unable to go down. Heaving a small sigh, he spun around and headed back up. Entering Hino's room again, he found that she was holding the cup, looking at it. Tsukimori knew that she had realized the hot water problem, but seemed to be debating with herself, whether or not to go after him and ask him to cook her cup for her, too. Obviously, she was feeling more than a little reluctant to talk to him.

_Well, Len, that isn't anyone's fault but your own. You did, after all, ditch her after kissing her, and told her to forget the whole thing afterwards._

"Give me that," Tsukimori said a bit brusquely, shaking aside his own thoughts. He took the noodle cup out of her hand and went out the room again. Downstairs, he poured steaming water into a cup as he allowed his thoughts to drift. A part of him wanted so badly to say apologize to Hino, to say sorry, sorry that he had been so stupid. He wanted to call her Kaho again, and most of all he wanted to feel her lips on his again…hear her sigh his name…_ Fsssshh—_

The water's hiss brought Tsukimori back to attention, when he saw that the hot water he had been pouring had started to flow out of the cup, collecting in a still-steaming puddle on the counter. As the liquid continued to slowly flow out the cup, it took along with it the small toppings and noodle bits that were all that made the noodles better-tasting. _Great. She was right, I can't cook anything at all, not even instant noodles, _he thought, frustrated. As he looked around for a rag to mop up the spill, Rational Len came out.

_That's what happens when you start daydreaming about a silly, unskilled girl, Len. That hot water could have hurt your fingers, and you know how sensitive those are._

_Shut up, _Other Len retorted._ I'm a red-blooded teenage boy. What do we do but dream about girls all day, like Hihara-senpai?_

_That stuff happens to other Japanese kids, but not YOU. You're Len Tsukimori, offspring of famed pianist Hamai Misa and Tsukimori-san, skilled violinist and CEO of the biggest music brand in Japan. You're special. You can't let silly distractions like that get in the way. You have expectations to live up to._

"Damn voices," Tsukimori muttered out loud. Shaking his head for the umpteenth time that day, he decided to concentrate on making the other cup of noodles acceptable for Hino. He would eat the first cup, even though there were hardly any more toppings left, and all the extra water had overpowered the powdered flavorings he had put in. Looking out the window, he noticed that the sky was getting darker fast; at 6 pm the sky was already pitch black, while yesterday it had still been a little light out. He opened the second cup of noodles, and, after putting in the powdered flavorings and toppings, concentrated intently on making sure the water reached just the embossed line on the Styrofoam cup. He let out a breath he hadn't noticed he had been holding when he successfully achieved the small task.

_You're pathetic, Len,_ his mind went.

"Shut up."

He went up the stairs, carefully balancing the two soup-filled cups on a tray he found in the kitchen. This was definitely not one of his strong points, since, being from a rich family, he was used to being served. _Well, at least I learned something from this trip,_ he thought. He entered the bedroom Hino was waiting in, and was a bit annoyed to find that she looked surprised. She didn't think he could cook ANYTHING, did she?

"What?" he said icily.

"O-oh, nothing," Hino muttered.

Setting down the tray on the wood table, he gestured to it, as though to say, "There. I did it.", and took a cup for himself. He was about to retreat to his own room and eat his bland meal in peace, when Hino, knowing he was about to leave, suddenly blurted out, "Wait--"

"Wait--" she said all of a sudden.

Tsukimori looked at her over his shoulder, already on his way out the door with his own dinner.

_Why did I say that??_

The strawberry-haired girl was about to say, "Never mind" when she changed her mind and said nervously, "I-I was wondering if you wanted to stay here…eat here…with me…cause, you know, it'd be lonely for both of us…eating by ourselves…"

He stared blankly at her, and remained silent. That, of course, made Hino even more nervous.

"I-I mean, if you don't want to, it's okay," she went on, blabbering. "It was just a suggestion, but, I mean, if you don't want to—"

"Okay."

"Really?"

Tsukimori sighed impatiently. "OKAY."

The two violinists ended up eating together, but that didn't mean that they did anything else besides that. Hino sat on one chair, Len on another, and for a while there it was eerily silent, save for the occasional slurping noises and the like. Hino's mind was racing. She was dying to ask Tsukimori about That, even though the very thought of it still hurt her, and he had very specifically told her not to ever bring it up. Still, she thought that she could get over it faster if she knew WHY he had done the things he did…of course, the truth might probably hurt her, but, isn't that usually the case? Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore.

"Tsukimori-kun," she spoke, breaking the fragile silence that had settled over them like a heavy veil. As though her voice were a catalyst, the storm outside, which had let up a little, began raging again, sending flurries of snow dancing in the night air outside.

He looked up from the tasteless meal he had been downing slowly. "Nande?"

"Ano, I have to ask you about that—that kiss," she continued.

Tsukimori immediately scowled. "I told you not to bring that up anymore," he said curtly, his voice tightening.

"But it isn't fair," Hino plowed ahead, not caring if she sounded whiny. "It isn't fair for you to just kiss me like that then stop and suddenly tell me to forget about it!"

"It isn't any of your business."

Tsukimori's answer made Hino even more upset. "How can it not be an of my business, when you toyed with my feelings like that, pretending you liked me then going back to your old self?! You hurt me, Len, but you don't even understand that!" her voice had risen by now, the volume rising in intensity, the same way the blizzard outside continued to rage even harder. She had, by now, abandoned any sense of formality, being blinded by her intense rage.

"No, I don't think YOU understand," Tsukimori slammed the Styrofoam cup on the table, not caring if the liquid spilled over this time. He stood up now, angry and hurt and upset, and lost control of his usually carefully hidden emotions. "You don't know what it's like, growing up in the shadow of your parents. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, I will always be known as Hamai Misa's son, as Tsukimori-san's kid! The violin is the only way I know I can someday make a name for myself! The violin is what will make other people see me as Tsukimori Len, violinist, and not as my parent's kid! If I let distractions get in the way, if I let relationships get in the way, do you think I will still be able to achieve that fame in the future??"

"THAT'S what this is ABOUT?!" Hino exclaimed. "You're feeling insecure about your playing, that's why you did that to me?! First you pretend to like me, then remember your precious violin, then hurt me like that??"

"NO! I didn't pretend to like you, Kaho, I really did! I still do! But you don't see it; I just cannot let anything get in the way of my music! I've come too far to let it all go to waste now!"

The storm was at its strongest now, and tiny bits of hail had started raining down, pelting the glass panes, but the two violinists paid no attention. They had their own storm raging inside.

"So you're telling me that you DO like me, but not enough to take a risk, to let someone in your heart?!" she asked with disbelief. Struggling to stand up, to face Tsukimori in the eye, Hino gripped the table for support and slowly rose. "Your music is more important than love? You would rather pick success and fame over friends and family and love?? How—how can you be so foolish, Len?!"

_How can you be so foolish, Len?_ Those last words from Hino's mouth were like an arrow to Tsukimori's heart. "Stop trying to understand, Kaho! If you knew what it was like—constantly being compared to your parents—you wouldn't think me foolish. I told you already- it won't work, choosing both you and my music. I have to pick one, and I know I have to pursue music so that I can finally achieve my own fame!" he cried out.

Quite clearly, Len's outright refusal hurt her, and Hino's ankle still hurt. But she struggled to hold back her tears and keep standing. "I'm not giving up yet, Len. I—I know music is important to you, but—but I still—I still like you, and if we try and make things work —"

"Maybe things would work out better between you and Tsuchiura." His voice was cold, emotionless, his face stony and impassive.

She was stopped cold. Between her and Tsuchiura? Tsuchiura, his rival? No matter how much the blue-haired virtuoso said he liked her, she couldn't believe him, especially not now, when he might as well have been saying, "I don't like you that much, so I'll just give you over to Tsuchiura."

"You're right, Tsukimori," the girl said slowly, going back to calling him by his last name. "I don't understand a lot of things about you, but obviously I made the wrong choice, choosing someone like you…maybe things WOULD be better between Tsuchiura and me." The hurt look on Tsukimori's face, as fleeting as it was, made Hino feel guilty, but she brushed it aside. The red-haired beauty wanted to have the last word, as childish as that sounded, but was it so wrong to indulge in childish whims once in a while?

"Glad we have it all figured out, then. Good night, Hino-san" he said icily, and stormed out the room. Hino stared awhile at where he had been standing, only a few moments ago, and she allowed herself to crumple back down on the chair and let the tears she tried so hard to control come flowing out. She cried harder than ever, harder than the time when Tsukimori had confronted her about the magic violin, harder than when Shimizu had played his cello for her, harder than when she told Tsuchiura about her feelings for the blue-haired violinist. After a while, there were no more tears, and, numbly, she hobbled over to the bed, not bothering to clean up and throw the cups away, not bothering to brush her teeth and change her clothes, and just curled up, exhausted, and fell asleep. As she slipped away, Hino vaguely noticed that the blizzard had calmed down.


	10. Chapter 10

_Light…_ Hino opened her eyes and rolled on her side to see a concerned Fuyuumi-chan looking at her. Outside, the clear blue skies gave no indication that a blizzard had occurred a day earlier. The sun was already high up in the sky, and she groaned and blinked groggily.

"Good morning, Kaho-senpai," said Fuyuumi.

"Oh, good morning, Fuyuumi-chan," Hino smiled. "When did you guys get back?"

"Oh…about 3 hours ago…at around 6 am."

_6 am…that means I woke up at 9…wow._ "I see. Did you sleep fine at the main lodge yesterday?" the senpai inquired.

"Well, there weren't any beds there, except for the ones in the clinic, but we let the older people sleep there, so the rest of us had to stay on the couches. It wasn't as comfortable as our beds, but it was okay. After we came back, everyone else went to their rooms to get more sleep, but when I came in here, you looked really…well, awful," Fuyuumi recalled, embarrassed. "So I cleaned up the table and got you some medicine I brought with me, too make you feel better."

"Oh, thank you, Fuyuumi-chan."

Hino looked around the room and noted that the noodle cups that she and Tsukimori had left the other night were not on the wooden table anymore. The spills were cleaned up, plastic spoons gone, and the trash can was empty. The thought of Tsukimori was enough to make tears well up, but the violinist quickly brushed them away and got up.

"Ano…Kaho-senpai, are you okay?" Fuyuumi looked at her curiously.

"Wh-why?" stammered the violinist.

"I-its just…well, you seem…different today."

"I'm okay," Hino said a tad hurriedly. She turned away from Fuyuumi and said, "Well, I'll just wash up," she said, hobbling as quickly as she could to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Leaning against the door, she stared at her reflection in the mirror in front of her and struggled to rearrange her features. Her throat hurt and her eyes were sill dry from all the tears she had shed the night before. Cupping her mouth over her hand, Hino breathed out and grimaced. _My breath stinks_, the girl said to herself, making a mental note to never skip brushing her teeth again. _Well, who can blame me, after the night I just had,_ she thought miserably.

After rinsing her mouth and splashing her face, Hino made sure she looked "fine" and went out.

"Ano, Kaho-senpai--"

"Eh, Fuyuumi-chan…I…I'm sorry, but I don't really want to talk about it…it's kind of private,"

"Yes, I know," Fuyuumi smiled. "I just wanted to say that…well, if you want to talk about it, I'm here. And Kaho-senpai, I'm really thankful for you…for helping me, so I want to help you too."

Hino's eyes welled up again. "Arigato, Fuyuumi,"

That afternoon, Hino stayed in as usual, but, to everyone's surprise, Tsukimori decided to go skiing with the boys. This was a relief for her, since the last two times they had been left alone, the encounters had both been disasters.

Hihara, who had been looking forward to spending some quality time with her, was eager to stay in to keep her company. Besides, last night's blizzard scared the hell out of him. He had been on the slopes when the snow started falling rapidly, and by the time he was safely inside the large fortress, the olive-haired teenager was already covered in snow, shivering from cold and fear.

After the others had left, Hihara and Hino played a game of poker with the cards she brought. Poker. Hihara had suggested it first, and immediately, she thought back to that first day of their vacation, when she had first suggested playing card games.

"_Tsukimori-kun? Do you know how to play cards? I'll bet you're good at poker; you have a great poker face."_

_A large, cold hand on top of hers, kind of clutching it, but very loosely, that she wasn't sure if she had imagined it. It was a nice feeling, and there was a tingly sensation in the pit of her stomach she couldn't explain. The hand was Tsukimori's._

"…please, Kaho-chan?"

Hihara's voice brought her back to reality, and she stared blankly at him. "H-huh?"

"Its your turn, Kaho-chan," he said slowly, looking at her strangely. "Are you okay?"

"O-oh, yeah. I'm fine." She was about to say something else when he cut her off.

"Listen, Kaho-chan…"

"Yes?"

"Uh, well, I, uh," Hihara fumbled with his words, unable to think of the best way to say what he wanted to say.

"Ilikeyou! Pleasegooutwithme!" The sentence, strung together like a single word, sprang out of his mouth before he could stop it, and he bowed in shame, blushing furiously in front of the girl he liked.

_I like you. Please go out with me_.

Hino was taken aback by Hihara's confession. She had not seen this coming, and, seeing her senpai shamefully looking down, unable to meet her eyes, Hino Kahoko could not help but feel guilty for wishing someone else had said that—a blue-haired, golden-eyed someone.

"Ano, Hihara-senpai--"

"Iunderstandifyoudon'twantto--" he blurted, still unable to face her.

"No, I was going to say--"

"ImeanIdon'tknowwhatIwasthinking--"

"Hihara-senpai!"

He looked up at her, astonished by how loud she could be when she wanted to. It was almost as loud as his own voice.

"I—I'll think about it," she said steadily, carefully.

His eyes shone upon hearing her reply. This was more than he expected. The outcomes of this fantasy he had created for months had never ended well—there were some when she had slapped him, some where she told him she loved someone else, and even one where he had ended up in a cage with a lion, standing in nothing but his underwear and yellow rubber ducky floaters on his arms. "Arigato, Hino-chan!"

* * *

Over at the main lodge, Yunoki, Tsuchiura and Tsukimori were putting on their ski gear. Tsukimori was yanking on his left boot when, Tsuchiura, dying of curiosity, asked him, "Oi, Tsukimori, why are you here?"

"I'm here because the principal asked me to come," Tsukimori said in his usual cool voice, even though he knew well enough that that wasn't the _here_ that his rival was talking about.

Tsuchiura shot him a withering glance. "I meant, why are you HERE, skiing with us?"

"I received a call from my mother last night. She told me to relax while I was on vacation, so that's what I'm doing." He was, of course, lying. Hamai Misa had not called the night before, and, even if she had, Tsukimori doubted he would listen to his mother, as respectful and obedient a son he was.

Tsuchiura snorted. He didn't believe that pathetic excuse for a lie one bit. "Oh, mama's boy, are you? Come one, what's the real reason?"

Tsukimori, who by that time had finished getting ready, got off the wooden bench and, taking his ski rods, said curtly, "I don't answer to you. Frankly, it's none of your business, and your nosing in like that makes you seem like a gossipy girl. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be going ahead."

The violinist quickly made his way to the slope, pushing to the back of his mind thoughts of the girl that preoccupied him so much. _I'm here because I can't face her. I can't face Hino, not after what she said to me, not after the things I told her._ Tsukimori made his way down the slope with surprising speed and grace, as though he spent most of his time skiing, not practicing the violin. Tsuchiura and Yunoki, who had come out a few moments later, arrived just in time to see him move swiftly down the snow-covered mountain.

"Wow, I didn't know Tsukimori could ski so well," commented a bewildered Tsuchiura.

"I believe his family has a winter home in the Swiss Alps. They must've vacationed there often when he was still a kid," Yunoki said.

"It's hard to imagine Tsukimori doing anything but practice the violin." Tsuchiura tried to visualize a young Tsukimori struggling with skis, but failed miserably.

Yunoki thought about what Tsuchiura said, and remarked, "I don't think Tsukimori would have been like he is now if the situation had been different."

Tsuchiura looked at his senpai, confused. "What do you mean, Yunoki-senpai?"

"Tsukimori isn't like average teenagers because, well, he isn't from a normal family. The son of a famed pianist and a wealthy CEO can hardly be expected to handle the same pressures as a kid from an average family." Yunoki was surprised at himself. Why was he defending Tsukimori? A small, bitter smile flickered briefly across his face as he realized why he did it. _I feel the same way he does. I feel pressured by the expectations of my family, too. He, to excel in the field of music, and I, to _stop_ "playing around" in the arts. Oh, the irony._

Yunoki turned back to Tsuchiura and flashed him a good-natured smile. "Well, let's get going," and put on his goggles. _If I cannot have Kahoko, then she at least deserves to be with someone who can make her happy. _He started down the mountain, leaving behind the thoughts that plagued him.

Tsuchiura mulled over his senpai's words. Of course it made sense that Tsukimori would be pressured to do better in music. Of course he would strive to achieve that perfection others expected of him. Of course he would become focused and cold, his mind set on his goal. Of course he would push Hino away, denying himself the feelings he, too, had for her. _How could I not have _seen_ that, _he thought to himself, frustrated. _Maybe I _am_ as slow as he makes me out to be._ Tsuchiura stood, stock-still, even after Yunoki had went down the slope without him. He thought back to that night Hino had told him about her and Tsukimori. She was so hurt, so sad, so confused. All because of Tsukimori. The pianist's heart ached, wishing terribly that he would matter to Hino as much as Tsukimori did to her. Finally, he turned to look at the sloping curve in front of him and sighed, hoping that a quick ski down would help him sort his thoughts.

* * *

Hino, back in her room, curled up on her side and clutched her pillow. She had excused herself a while ago, telling Hihara she wanted to rest for a while. In truth, she wanted time by herself, to think about Hihara's confession.

_It can't possibly be so bad, _she thought to herself. _What harm will one date do? Hihara-senpai has been a good friend, and, if I let him, he'd probably be a good boyfriend, too. I have to forget about HIM. Forget about him, move on, find someone who would take my heart and not break it into a million pieces. Hihara-senpai is a nice guy, and he seemsto be telling the truth. Besides, she_ sighed and rolled over on her back. _Besides, it can't end as bad as what happened between me and Tsukimori._


	11. Chapter 11

"You look so cute, Kaho-chan!"

"No, wait, the other outfit was much better!"

"Mio, let's just look for more clothes!"

Hino stared at her reflection in the mirror, chewing her lip. It was the day of her date with Hihara-senpai—her first date with anyone, really—and she had turned to her friends Mio, Nao, and Amou to help her. They had immediately agreed to help her, squealing about things like corsages and limousines—why would there be corsages and limos? It was just a date, not prom or anything.

Hino sighed to herself. She and her friends were in her room, picking out the right outfit for her. They had gotten there at 9 in the morning, and now it was 11, and Hino was still outfit-less. _It's my own fault, asking them for help, _she thought, turning away from her reflection to look at the three other girls crowding around her closet. Hino thought they looked a bit like hens pecking at chicken feed on the ground, the way her friends' necks were bent down over the drawers.

(flashback)

Besides, it can't end as bad as what happened between me and Tsukimori.

"_Ano, Hihara-senpai," Hino knocked on the door to his room. He immediately turned to face her, half a cupcake still in his mouth._

"_Mmpph?"_

_It was the first time Hino had ever been inside Hihara's and Tsukimori's room at the cabin. One side of the room was definitely Tsukimori's, from the way his bed was made with hospital corners to the orderly arrangement of things on his bedside table. Hihara's part of the room, however, was definitely…male. His bags lay open; packs of instant noodles and potato chip bags spilling out, and on his unmade bed were clothes, haphazardly strewn about. Hihara noticed her staring, blushed, and said quickly, "I'm packing, that's why it's messy."_

"_Oh. Okay. Uh, Hihara-senpai…about what you said a while ago…" Hino turned red, embarrassed at the conversation._

"_I-its okay. I understand. You probably prefer someone…someone more mature, like Tsuchiura or Yunoki or Tsukimori..."_

"_Hihara-senpai, I WILL go out with you…just to try it out," she said slowly, as though she were trying to tell herself that, instead of telling it to him._

"_Really?!" His eyes shone, and he leapt up, the chair falling to the floor with a thud. But he didn't care. Kaho was going to go out with him!_

"_Hino,"_

_A guy's voice made her look up from the table, where she was writing some things in her notebook._

"_Tsuchiura-kun, hey," she said._

"_You're going out with Hihara." It came out like an accusation, and she winced. What was wrong with her going on a date with Hihara-senpai, anyway? It was just one date._

"_Yeah, so?"_

"_I thought you were a Tsukimori fan," Tsuchiura continued to plow ahead tactlessly, even though he knew he should stay away from a topic as sensitive as Tsukimori Len. He couldn't help it, though. _

_As soon as he, Yunoki, and Tsukimori had come back from skiing, Hihara had bounded up to them and whispered excitedly, "I'm going on a date with Kaho-chan!" The guys' reactions were all different. Yunoki smiled cheerfully, even though he wasn't really pleased. Tsukimori continued to stare impassively, saying, "So?" The bewildered expression in his eyes, though, betrayed him. Tsuchiura was confused and jealous, the strange mix of emotions new to him. Confused because he knew Hino liked Tsukimori, jealous that Hihara, and not he, had gotten a date with the red-haired girl._

_Hino stared at him, surprised at his rudeness. "Well, I thought, if things aren't going to work out between the two of us…I might as well try to forget him," she managed to say._

_He looked at her as though he wanted to say more, and he did want to tell Hino something else. He wanted to tell her what Yunoki had told him, about Tsukimori's attitude toward music and everyone else. He didn't though. Tsuchiura stalked off to his room, preoccupied with her problems._

_(end flashback)_

"Here, Kaho-chan, try this on!!"

Mio held out a 2 hangers, and shoved into Hino's arms a few extra accessories.

The violinist dazedly walked into her bathroom, still wondering if her decision to date Hihara was a good one.

She walked out of the bathroom in a crisp white sleeveless top with lace ruffles and a tomboyish pair of beige cargos. A light pink cardigan went over the top, and a thin silver necklace with a G-Clef hung from her small wrist.

"Oh, that's the perfect outfit, Kaho-chan! Wait, let me take a few pictures!" Amou said, already snapping away.

"You look so pretty, Kaho," Nao said, smiling. Mio nodded furiously.

"Arigato, Mio, Nao, Amou," Hino said sincerely. She may not have agreed to this date wholeheartedly, but she was truly grateful for her friends. They seemed to be enjoying this more than she, and Hino hated to be a wet blanket.

"Oh, Kaho, look at the time! You're gonna be late for your date!"

When Hino arrived at the park where she and Hihara had agreed to meet, 5 minutes late, the trumpet player was already there, nervously checking his watch every 5 seconds. Hihara was dressed more carefully for the occasion, in a graphic T-shirt and a black blazer over it. He wore his 'expensive jeans', and his best pair of sneakers. Hihara's usually wild hair was a bit more tamed with a bit of gel, and in his left hand was a bouquet of flowers.

_He does look pretty good, _mused Kaho. Maybe he would be a good enough replacement for Tsukimori.

_Baka. What are you doing? You should be ashamed of yourself, Kaho, for using Hihara-senpai like that. _Her inner voice berated her, and Hino instantly felt guilty. _Besides, you think HE can compete with Tsukimori?_

"Kaho-chan!" Hihara spotted her, and a wave of relief instantly washed over him. She hadn't stood him up, after all.

"Gomenasai, Hihara-senpai," Hino jogged up to him, red curls gleaming in the afternoon sun. "Sorry for being a few minutes late. I lost track of time."

"Oh, that's okay," he quickly reassured her. "I had not been waiting long, anyway. These are for you, by the way." He gave her the bouquet of flowers, which Hino shyly accepted with thanks.

"So, where are we going?"

"Oh, I thought we would go to the local carnival. I already bought us tickets. Is that okay with you, Kaho-chan?"

"C-carnival?" _The same carnival I went to with Tsukimori and Tsuchiura and his ex? The same carnival where Tsukimori held my hand in the haunted house? The same carnival where he offered to protect me from the fake monsters himself?_

"I-is something wrong, Kaho-chan? Don't you want to go to the carnival? I was asking Tsukimori-kun for ideas on where to take you to, and he told me that you'd probably enjoy the carnival."

"I-ie, nothing's wrong. I like carnivals." Hino felt a flare of anger when she discovered that Tsukimori had suggested the carnival. Up till that point, she had still kept hoping that Tsukimori would stop being so _stupid_, so _mean, _but, apparently, he was making it very clear to her that he didn't want to be associated to her any longer. No more special places, no more special moments. No more. _Okay, that's the way he wants it, that's the wey he'll get it._


	12. Chapter 12

At the carnival, the two musicians headed first to the carousel. Hihara had wanted to go on the roller coaster immediately, but Hino was determined to ride on the beautifully painted wooden horses. Not wanting to disappoint his date, the trumpeter agreed to go with her…on the condition that he was NOT riding a pink pony.

Moments later, they were already laughing cheerfully on the carousel ride, snapping pictures of each other and earning strange glances from the children and parents riding with them. The two were having so much fun, they failed to notice a pair of heads lurking in the bushes near the ride. Other people, though, shot strange glances at the two boys hiding by the plants.

"Hey, Misaki, what do you think is up with those two guys by the bushes?" A girl asked her friend as they both paused, hot dogs and drinks in hands as they regarded the two teenagers crouching in the leaves.

"I don't know. You think they're crazy?"

"If they were, it would be such a waste. The blue-haired guy is pretty hot…"

"No way, Akira! Look at his face! He seems so cold and unapproachable…the green-haired guy seems more friendly…he's tall and muscular, too."

As soon as Akira and Misaki had left, Tsuchiura turned to Tsukimori and smirked. "See that? I'm friendlier, taller and more muscular than you!"

"Like I care. You should be more concerned about the fact that your plan at camouflaging failed miserably. Why am I here, anyway?" came Tsukimori's emotionless reply.

"Look." Tsuchiura sighed impatiently. "I know about what happened at Kyoto. Seriously, Tsukimori, I don't know why you won't admit that you like Hino as much as she likes you."

The violinist, unable to stand conversations about love with anybody, certainly could not take it coming from his RIVAL. He stood up suddenly and, flicking away the leaves that clung to his body, said coldly, I'm leaving."

Tsuchiura quickly pulled him back down and hissed, "Stay low!! We don't want them to see us!!"

"Are you deaf?" retorted he. "I said I was leaving. Hino-san can date whoever she wants. It isn't up to me." Inside, though, he burned with jealousy, seeing her having fun on a date with someone else.

"You can't leave," Tsuchiura smirked, a nasty gleam in his eye. "Remember what your mother said…?"

(Flashback)

Earlier that day, Tsuchiura had rang the doorbell of the Tsukimori mansion, waiting for someone to come to the gates. Hamai Misa had come out and was surprised to see him standing outside.

"Tsuchiura-san, am I correct? What are you doing here?" she had asked while opening the gate to let him in.

"Good morning, Hamai-sama. I'm actually here to see Tsukimori."

"Oh? Well, I'm sorry, but he left on a business trip a week ago and won't be back until tomorrow night."

_What? Tsukimori on a business trip? _He was confused. "But…I just saw Tsukimori a few days ago. We were at the ski lodge…" he trailed away, eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh!" Hamai Misa said, laughing sheepishly. "Gomenasai. I thought you were talking about my husband, Tsukimori-san. Gomen, gomen. Len doesn't get many visitors, so I didn't think you were looking for him."

_Len doesn't get many visitors. No surprise there,_ Tsuchiura thought dryly. The sound of footsteps coming down made him turn to see Tsukimori at the landing.

"Tsuchiura. What are you doing here?"

"Len!" his mother scolded. "Is that any way to greet your friend? He came here just to see you!"

"Gomenasai, mother. I wasn't expecting anyone today. Weekends like this are reserved for violin practice. You know that."

"Uh, actually--" Tsuchiura butted in.

Mother and son turned to look at him. They looked amazingly alike, the same blue hair, the same fine features; the only difference was that Hamai Misa looked at him warmly, and Tsukimori was staring daggers at him. _If looks could kill,_ Tsuchiura thought, shuddering.

"I came to, erm, invite Tsukimori to the carnival today. Yunoki-senpai gave me tickets the other day and told me to bring Tsukimori with me…so…"

Hamai Misa was ecstatic. She had thought that her cold, detached son was a loner, but it turns out, he had friends, after all.

"That's so nice of Yunoki-san, isn't it, Len? Well, what are you waiting for? Go and change your clothes! Don't keep Tsuchiura-san waiting!"

"I have to practice, Mother."

"Practice later, Len! You're so focused on your music you rarely ever do things normal boys your age do! I want you out of the house for the rest of the day!" Not even giving time for Len to argue, his mother turned to Tsuchiura, who quickly stifled his grin.

"Tsuchiura-san, Len would be GLAD to go to the carnival today. Please have fun, both of you!"

Hamai Misa shot Len a look and said, "Don't come back before 5." There was something in her eye, and the way she said it in an unusually steely, firm voice that made Tsukimori's shoulders sag in resignation.

"Yes, Mother."

(End flashback)

Tsukimori narrowed his eyes and Tsuchiura smiled in triumph. "You should be grateful, actually. I'm trying to help you over here."

(Flashback)

"Tsuchiura-san,"

He looked up from the music CDs he was looking over to see Yunoki standing by the doorway.

"Yunoki-senpai," he said. "What's up?"

"Hihara and Hino-san."

"…What about them?" Tsuchiura stiffened.

"Well, I know that I should be happy for him, finally getting the girl of his dreams, but we both know that Hino likes someone else," Yunoki said, glancing at Tsuchiura from the side of his eye.

"I-I, uh, I don't know," came the flustered reply of the pianist. _Whoa, what happened to Yunoki-senpai?_

"Come now, Tsuchiura. We both know that Tsukimori came skiing with us for a different reason…and didn't Hino-san tell you about the kiss a few nights ago? She did confess her love for Tsukimori to you."

Tsuchiura could only gape at the flutist. _What the hell?! Yunoki-senpai??_

"Now, now. You don't have to be so surprised. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the reason why Tsukimori was so desperate to escape the lodge…and I'm not a very heavy sleeper. I heard her crutches, too. Now, I'd like to enlist your help in getting the two violinists together."

"Wh-why? Why me?"

Yunoki shrugged. "Who else is there? Fuyuumi-san is too shy, Shimizu is certainly out of the question…and besides, as Hino's friend, you should care about her happiness, even though it is with someone other than yourself…"

_When did senpai become so…sly???_ "I, uh, I guess so…wait, why do YOU care so much?" Tsuchiura asked accusingly. The conversation was getting stranger by the minute.

_Because I want her to be happy, too. Even though it is with someone else. _"I have my reasons," Yunoki said cheerfully. Seeing that the pianist was still too flabbergasted to say anything else, he plowed on. "Now, Hihara tells me that he plans on taking Hino-san to the carnival on Saturday. I won't be able to go, since I have a previous engagement with my family on that day, so you'll have to go. Take Tsukimori with you, too. Don't worry, I'll supply the tickets."

"Wh-What…what are we supposed to do there? SPY on them??" _Kami, what's happened to the world??_

"Yes, actually," Yunoki smiled at him as though it were the most natural thing to do, the charm practically creating twinkling lights around his aura. "Sabotage the date, if you can."

"So that it will end up a disaster…making it the most unromantic thing ever!" Even Tsuchiura was beginning to like the idea of Yunoki's plan. He felt a bit guilty, though. Hihara-senpai was very innocent and good-natured, and to ruin it like this…oh, well. Guess sadism WAS contagious, after all.

(End flashback)

Tsuchiura's reminiscing was cut short by a haughty snort by his companion. "Who says I need help?"

The pianist raised his eyebrow. "You've needed help for as long as I've known you."

Tsukimori was about to retort when they heard a familiar voice say, "That was fun, Hihara-kun!"

Tsukimori raised his eyebrows. "Hihara-kun?" he said aloud. Jealousy consumed him. _Since when did Kaho refer to him with "-kun", and not "-senpai"?_

Tsuchiura sensed his feelings of envy and smirked. "Still think you don't need my help, Tsukimori-sama?"

_Swallow your pride, Lenny,_ Other Len appeared again. _Hino Kahoko is practically running into the arms of that silly 3__rd__ year…and here you are, acting all high-and-mighty. Give me a break!!_

Tsukimori glared menacingly at his companion and said, "What do we have to do?"

* * *

A/N- sighs well, that was chapter 12. Sorry it's been taking such a long time for me to update. We had a whole load of projects due before break, and I was writing Last Night…and the internet connection was malfunctioning…and I sorta had a dry spell…not anymore, though. Thanks, Jazzzz! Review please! Comments, criticism….the more the merrier!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N- I was wondering if I should change the title of the story to something else…since, yeah, the first few chapters WERE winter-y…but now it isn't anymore…and the summary isn't very…I dunno, correct..accurate... What do you think? PM me or leave comments!

Oh, yeah—I just realized that maybe, since I update so slowly, you guys might've forgotten the rest of the story, which has happened to me before…so I thought, Hey, why not make a short summary so that they won't have to reread the whole thing? So, that's what I'm doing. Here goes—Concours participants go to ski lodge for winter break, Hino and Len share a few moments, they kiss, stupid Len rejects her, they get into a fight in a blizzard, Hihara asks her out, she accepts, Yunoki convinces Tsuchiura to sabotage the date, Tsuchiura convinces Tsukimori to join in, and this chap is about their mission, part one. ^^ Happy reading!

* * *

"Come on, Hihara-kun, let's go to the Ferris Wheel!" Hino said excitedly.

"Eehh, Kaho-chan, can't we go on the roller coaster?" begged Hihara.

The couple was standing by a bench near the carousel, which they had just gotten off. The two had spent a few minutes reviewing the pictures they had taken of each other on Kaho's digital camera laughing at each other's silliness. Now, they were talking about what ride to go on next.

A few feet away from them stood Tsuchiura and Tsukimori, buying iced teas. As they waited for their change, Tsukimori asked, "Are you sure we should be standing so near to them? They might see us."

The green-haired boy snorted. "Relax. Those two are so dense and scatterbrained, they won't notice a hornet if it were hovering in front of them. You're too cautious, you know. Have fun a bit more often."

"You sound like my mother." They got their change from the stall vendor in time to hear Hihara say, "Okay, but when the line at the roller coaster gets shorter, that's where we're going."

Ferris Wheel, it is.

The two boys got into the car right before Hino's without being discovered, since the two were so busy taking more pictures, and as they sat back to relax, Tsuchiura caught a glimpse of Hihara's arm draped over the girl's shoulder. Catching Tsukimori's eye, he said, "Okay. Time to commence Operation: Destroy Hino's And Hihara's Date So That Tsukimori Can Date Her."

The blue-haired boy looked at him with half closed eyes that were oozing with contempt. "What do you think you are, a spy? And stop calling it such a ridiculous name. You sound like a five-year-old."

Tsuchiura chose to ignore his comments, although the throbbing vein in his temple was bulging more and more. _For Hino. For Hino. For Hino. This uptight, cold, idiotic, strange, spoiled, crazy, proud violinist—for Hino._ Finishing the last of his drink, the pianist set the plastic cup on the floor and took out the straw. Tearing up a small bit of tissue, he crumpled it into a small ball…and spit on it. He looked over at Tsukimori and saw an expression of disgust on his face. "What are you doing?"

Tsuchiura's eyebrows furrowed as though it were unnatural for Tsukimori to ask. "Making spitballs. Nothing more unromantic than a wad of spit on your skin, right?"

_Spitballs? _The violinist blinked. He hadn't actually known what to expect when Tsuchiura invited him to the carnival, but…spit? It seemed so…juvenile. His thoughts must have been reflected clearly on his face, since Tsuchiura said, "Childish, I know, but effective."

Minutes later, he found himself making little wads of spitballs too, and was surprised to find himself enjoying it. A small smile appeared on his face, wondering if this was the childhood he had missed out on so many years ago. Maybe his mother _was _right.

"Okay, you know what to do with them, right?" Tsuchiura's questioning voice cut short his reverie. Looking up, the violinist realized he didn't actually know what to do with the little wads of tissue. He wasn't going to admit it, though.

"Of course I do."

"Go ahead, then," Tsuchiura gestured to the open space in between the panels of Plexiglas.

Tsukimori, trying to maintain his cocky expression, took a small pellet and rolled it in his fingers. He squinted, whispered a silent prayer to the gods, and threw the spitball. His aim was horrible. The small wad, instead of landing on Hihara as he'd hoped, strayed three feet below…and hit the lower side of the bright yellow compartment. He winced inwardly and turned back to face Tsuchiura with a nonchalant expression. He hoped that by looking like he normally did, the pianist would just leave it alone. No such luck. It just wasn't his day today.

The pianist looked at him with barely suppressed scorn and amusement. He tried to hold back his laughter, but with barely suppressed glee, he started hooting.

"Bwahahahaha!!"

Tsukimori, of course, was very pissed. "Would you shut up, they might hear us!!"

"Bwahahaha!!"

The violinist turned around to see if they had been discovered, but, just as Tsuchiura had said, the two remained oblivious. Hihara's arm was still around Hino's shoulders.

_Get the hell away from her! She's mine! _He didn't say this out loud, of course. That would be stupid. He didn't actually believe it wholly himself. Music was important to him, and it remained so, just as he had told Hino that night at the lodge. Strangely, though, that voice which constantly reminded him of this fact had not spoken the whole day, when, he knew, he should've been practicing. Looking back at Tsuchiura to see if he'd calmed down; Tsukimori wondered why the pianist wanted to help him.

"Ne, Tsuchiura," he said.

"Heheh…sigh…that was priceless…should've caught it on video…heh…"

_Ugh. _"Tsuchiura," he said a bit louder.

"Huh? What?"

_Why…why do you want to help me? Don't you…don't you like her, too? _"It's your turn to…uh, throw the spitball."

"Oh, okay," the pianist chuckled. He crossed over to Tsukimori's seat and, taking a spitball, pushed it into the plastic straw. Catching Tsukimori's eye, he smirked. "You didn't actually know how to use spitballs, do you?"

The violinist could do nothing but huff and look away. _So THAT'S how it's done…_

Tsuchiura squinted, leaned forward…and huffed on the straw. Tsukimori watched as a small white ball flew out the open end of the straw…and landed on Hino's neck. Quickly, the pianist ducked low, pulling Tsukimori's collar with him. Tsukimori's Italian cotton collar. Tailor-made Italian collar. He didn't mind, though, this time. The two boys peered out from the edge of the plastic bench to see Hino turn quickly, grimacing as she recovered the damp ball from the back of her neck. They were too far away to hear what she was saying, but it didn't take a genius to see that she wasn't happy. Heck, who would be happy with spit on their skin? Hihara looked around to see where it came from, but he didn't even think to take another glance at the seemingly vacant car just above them. Dismissing it, the couple turned back to enjoy the view below them.

_No matter, _Tsukimori thought deviously. _There's plenty more where that came from._ Immersed in his task, the boy actually forgot about his precious practice time.

For the rest of the Ferris Wheel ride, Hihara and Hino continued to be bombarded with small, slimy balls of tissue. They moved to the bench opposite them, making it hard for the two spies/saboteurs to continue launching spitballs, but it didn't matter. By the 8th ball of saliva, any atmosphere of romance was eradicated by the continuing assault of spit. The couple was more desperate to get off the ride than anything. Tsuchiura, forgetting his antagonism, smiled devilishly at his companion and joked, "Are we good, or are we good??"

Tsukimori allowed himself a small smile and said, "We're good."

* * *

Well, how was it? I wanted the two Tsus to be friends...maybe frenemies is more accurate, so that's what I did. Any comments or suggestions to make it funnier and/or better? Leave reviews or PM me if you want! Expect haunted houses, anger, and more sabotage in the next chappies!

oh, yeah...gizelle-chan made me realize that when tsuchiura said "are we good, or are we good" pinoys out there might remember a certain _condom_ ad...but seriously, I SWEAR that when i wrote it, i was not implying gay love or anything...but now that I think about it, hey, that's hilarious! :))


	14. Chapter 14

Feeling extremely confident with the whole spitball fiasco, Tsukimori and Tsuchiura continued to follow Hino on her date. They weren't so full of it, though, when they heard Hihara say, "Ne, Kaho-chan, let's go over to the haunted house!"

Tsuchiura and Tsukimori exchanged looks. Going into the haunted house was not good. Kahoko, being scared of practically everything, would freak when she went in there. They knew that very well. Sure enough, they heard Hino say: "Eeh? But I'm scared of the things they have in there…the last time I went--"

(switch to Hino's POV…)

"…the last time I went--"

_The last time I went, Tsukimori had to hold my hand the whole time._ Hino almost said it out loud, but stopped herself. _Enough with Tsukimori, Kaho,_ scolded her inner voice. _You're here to have fun with Hihara. Forget about that stupid, cold bastard._

"What happened the last time you went, Kaho-chan?" Hihara cocked his head to one side as he curiously awaited her reply.

"A-ano…nothing. I was just really scared." She waved her hands in a gesture that seemed like she was shooing away his question.

"That's okay, Kaho-chan!" her date reassured her confidently. I'll be there to protect you!"

"Well…okay, but let's get some food first," said Hino.

"OH!" Hihara exclaimed, drawing the attention of other people. "We just passed by this really good smelling takoyaki stand! Let's get some!"

(Back to the two boys…)

"I knew it," Tsukimori muttered, a hard look settling on his features.

"Knew what?" Tsuchiura looked at him curiously.

_I said that out loud? _"N-nothing. Never mind." _I knew this was gonna happen. She's going to get scared, he's going to protect her, probably hold her hand like I did, and, knowing how brash Hihara-senpai is, who knows what else will happen to them inside?_

Tsuchiura shot the blue-haired violinist a strange glance. _Damn, these prodigies are weird._ "Uh, so…moving on. Since the two of them will still be busy stuffing their faces with takoyaki, why don't we get a move on?"

"Hn."

"Here's what we do…"

Minutes later, Tsuchiura and Tsukimori, both wearing souvenir caps from the gift store, cut their way to the front of the entrance of the haunted house, ignoring the angry murmurs and glares of those in line. Tsuchiura placed a "Closed for Maintenance" sign in front of the doorway of the haunted house and tried to look professional, ignoring the attendant who was requesting that they get to the back of the line and wait—what were they doing?

"We work here. Isn't it your lunch break?" he fixed a steely eye on the small man.

The man winced inwardly but stood his ground. "No, my break isn't until 1 pm. Are you sure you work here?" he inquired suspiciously.

Tsukimori cut in and gave the attendant his coolest, most confident stare. "Yes, we work here. You can ask the manager, if you want. He won't be pleased, though, when he hears you've caused quite a ruckus over such an insignificant issue. Go on, then, take your lunch."

_Well, he seems confident. Scary, too…and handsome…mmm, his blue hair is GORGEOUS! Wonder if it's natural—stop it, Hiro! You've got a __**wife **__and kids!!_ "Okay, but if Manager tells a different story…" the attendant threatened while walking away, looking over his shoulder one last time before heading away. _I'd better go ask Manager about this…but maybe after lunch,_ he thought as he caught a whiff of roasting barbeque by the food courts.

Tsukimori turned to address the crowd. "Gomenasai, minna-san, but the haunted house has had some technical difficulties. The manager sent us here to look over the repairs, so please come back after an hour or so." He used his normal tone for this, polite and sophisticated but cool and hostile at the same time. The two boys looked at the line of people with so much confidence and purpose; they almost believed their story themselves. It worked, though. Slowly, the line of people dispersed, grumbling amongst themselves. When the last of the crowd had left, Tsuchiura blew a sigh of relief and took of his cap, fanning himself with it. "That was close, ne, Tsukimori? I didn't think these caps would be enough to fool everyone."

"Hn."

"You sure are excited," the pianist commented sarcastically.

"Let's just get this over with," Tsukimori said, moving over to the machines by the front of the entrance. "How do these things work?"

--

"Mmm…that was good takoyaki!" Hino exclaimed as she wiped her mouth with some tissue paper.

"I agree! Let's get some more!" Hihara said. From the looks of the three empty cardboard trays on their table, he was not satisfied with twelve pieces of the round, fried octopus dumplings.

"Erm…Hihara-kun, it's going to be lunchtime soon. Why don't we go to the haunted house now?"

"OH!" He exclaimed again, drawing glances from the other people sitting nearby. "I completely forgot about that! Gomen, gomen. Let's go!"

--

"Oi, Tsukimori, are you done? They might be coming back right about now," Tsuchiura looked at the throngs of people with a bit of unease.

"_Relax._ Those two are so dense and scatterbrained, they won't notice a hornet if it were hovering in front of them. You're too cautious, you know. Have fun a bit more often." Tsukimori muttered sarcastically as he fiddled with the controls of the display. _Let's see you have a taste of your own advice._

"Hn." _Ugh. For Hino, Ryo, for Hino. This bastard will make Hino happy._ Tsuchiura caught sight of fiery red hair a few yards away, and quickly turned to his rival. "They're coming!"

"I've just finished. Don't be so jumpy. Geez."

"Crap! What will we do? If we pose as attendants, they're sure to recognize us! Shit!" Tsuchiura looked around frantically, trying to find a good disguise…then his eyes landed on a clown blowing balloons.

--

"Hello!! Are you two ready for the fright of your life?!?"

"Uh, yes… yes we are," Hino said, looking curiously at the strange attendant who had asked her and Hihara the question. He looked very different from the other employees they'd seen so far. The tall man was wearing the standard amusement park cap, but he was in normal clothes, and instead wore a gigantic rainbow colored wig on his head. There was no clown makeup, but his face was pulled into a huge, freaky grin. _If he weren't wearing that stupid grin and wig, the man would probably look like Tsuchiura-kun,_ Hino mused.

"Ne, Clown-san, are you okay? Do you have indigestion or something?" Hihara spoke up, looking strangely at the weird attendant.

"Uh, I'm fine! Really!" Tsuchiura was already sweating profusely, but struggled to maintain his cheesy grin. _Why are they looking at me like that?_

"Ne, Clown-san…" Hihara said again.

"Err…Yes?" The pianist said in a pseudo-happy voice.

"Nah, never mind. You just look a lot like my friend, Tsuchiura-kun," Hihara laughed.

Tsuchiura forced himself to laugh too, and quickly changed the subject. "Why don't you go in now?"

--

Hino took a deep breath and went in the haunted house, expecting a dark, gloomy and horrifying atmosphere. She and Hihara were surprised to see that the inside was actually very well lit, orange lights illuminating the otherwise gloomy atmosphere. _Is it just me, or was it darker before?_ Instead of the eerie, high-pitched sounds that she'd heard last time, pop songs began blasting from the hidden speakers.

"Maybe they did it on purpose, so that we'd really be scared when something happens," Hihara whispered, the same thoughts in his mind. Hino nodded, but she was more confused than frightened. Slowly, the two made their way through the attraction, waiting for something to pop up, but nothing happened. Finally, they exited the building in silence. "Well, that was…not what I expected," Hihara finally spoke. Hino nodded, wondering why their date had not gone as smoothly as she'd have wanted. Her eyes brightened when she saw the roller coaster, hoping that at least it would be more fun.

"Ne, Hihara-kun! The line for the roller coaster isn't as long now!"

"Let's go!"

Back at the haunted house, Tsukimori was busy putting back the original settings for the

amusement while Tsuchiura stood guard when they heard angry shouts.

"There he is! Over there! He's the one who stole my wig!" It was the balloon clown, angrily pointing at Tsuchiura.

"That's them, Manager! They told me you hired them as new attendants for the haunted house!" The real employee was red in the face as he spluttered on about the two 'hooligans' and how they were probably terrorists trying to blow up the amusement park. The manager, a messy, fat man with a yellow mustard stain on his wrinkly polo and tiny crumbs of bread on his lips, seemed more outraged at being pulled away from lunch than having some "terrorists" in the carnival.

"Shut up already! Geez!" He yelled at the clown and the attendant. "Just call some guards and have them taken away!" The manager turned on his heel and stalked away, muttering something like, "Baka" and "cold sandwich" under his voice.

The clown and attendant, on the other hand, were more than ready to get the two boys caught, and quickly turned to look for a guard.

Tsukimori was still staring after them when Tsuchiura quickly grabbed his arm and began running. "What are you doing?! Are you _trying_ to get us caught??"

Tsukimori looked back and saw 2 guards quickly striding towards them. "Hey! You two!" _Crap._

Quickly he shrugged off Tsuchiura's grasp and started running faster. "Ditch the wig, Tsuchiura." The pianist tore of the ridiculous piece of rainbow colored fuzz and left it on the ground. They heard a whistle and more shouts. "Run faster!!" he yelled at the violinist.

"I play the violin," Tsukimori said as he began panting, "not run around for fun."

"Well, that's sure helping us now," came the sarcastic reply. The pianist turned back to look at the two guards. "They're gaining on us! Quick!" By this time, they had forgotten about following Hihara and Hino and were more worried about getting caught. "Would you run faster!!" he shouted over his shoulder at Tsukimori, who was lagging behind more and more.

"This—is—as—fast—as—I—can—get" The violinist panted. Tsukimori's blue locks were plastered to his forehead with sweat, his back hunched over.

"Damn music-sama," Tsuchiura muttered in annoyance as he quickly strode back for the violinist and grabbed his arm gruffly. "Let's just find someplace to hide."

"Hn." Not even tiredness could make the violinist lose his pride.

--

"Hey, miss, have you seem two boys around here? One was in a rainbow-colored wig."

"No, sorry."

Tsukimori cautiously peered out the dressing room to see if the guards had left, and, upon seeing that they had gone, knocked shortly on the wooden panel next to him. "We're safe."

Tsuchiura and Tsukimori stepped out of the changing rooms, expressions blank, as though minutes ago they weren't being hunted down by guards, a clown, and a haunted house attendant. Both wore different clothes; they had bought shirts from the gift shop to avoid being noticed. It had been Tsukimori's idea to hide inside the shop, and he had been feeling pretty smug about it when Tsuchiura had grudgingly admitted that it was a good idea…until he saw what his next disguise was going to be.

(flashback)

"The gift shop," Tsukimori had gasped, seeing the bright, cheesy signboard hanging a few yards away from them.

"Genius!" exclaimed Tsuchiura, who, after dragging Tsukimori around and running for his own life, had also grown pretty tired himself. He had blurted it out without thinking, forgetting that he was talking to Elite Music-student-sama.

"What did you say?" the violinist had asked, slowing down to look him in the eye. Tsukimori's expression was smug, an eyebrow raised, hands folded at his chest. He knew very well what he heard. He just felt like rubbing it in.

Tsuchiura narrowed his eyes, mentally smacking himself for saying that out loud. _As if he isn't proud enough. You're such an idiot, Ryo!! _"Nothing. Just get in the damn shop!!"

In the small, cramped store, a pile of haphazardly thrown clothes with a cardboard sign perched on the metal bar "Men's XXL T-shirts—70% off" by the counter caught the green-haired boy's eye. Grabbing two random shirts, he carelessly tossed one to the violinist and went in one of the two changing stalls, slamming the wooden door behind him. Tsukimori followed suit, occupying the other cubicle, still reveling in his recent triumph. He unfolded the shirt…and saw a neon yellow cartoon dinosaur dancing happily in front of a poorly colored picture of the carnival. It was colored neon green. Sighing in resignation, he took off his own polo and tugged the shirt on—well, tugged was an overstatement. The T-shirt was so big for him; he didn't really have to pull it on or anything. Staring in the mirror, Tsukimori felt like he was a small child again, remembering when his father had caught him, 5 years old, walking around in a blue striped button-down, the ends of the shirt dragging on the floor as though it were a bridal train, long sleeves drooping at the elbows. The hideous XXL shirt, a horribly blinding combination of white, neon yellow and green, sagged almost to Tsukimori's knees, looking more like a nightshirt than anything. Hell, even his bedclothes looked better than this! When he moved his arms, the sleeves flapped around as though they were small, cut-off wings. He stared at himself for a while, wondering if he should go out and get a different shirt, but the heavy footsteps of two pairs of leather shoes stopped him.

Obviously, they belonged to the men chasing them. As he waited for them to leave, Tsukimori thought, _Screw it. It is just a shirt. No one will look at you twice if you don't act differently._

(end flashback)

As the two boys handed over the money to pay for the shirts they were wearing, Tsukimori looked at the pianist standing next to him. Tsuchiura's shirt was just as hideous, but it didn't hang on his body as loosely as Tsukimori's did. It was the only time the violinist felt envious of his rival, when he wished that he had the same tall, toned body that had come from years of playing soccer. _She would probably like that_. He stopped. He had never been insecure of his physical appearance, and he never would have wished his body to be different just because of what someone else might think….until Hino Kahoko. He shook his head, wondering just how many parts of him she had affected.


	15. Chapter 15

"I told you not to eat so much takoyaki, Hihara-kun," Hino scolded as they walked away from the roller coaster. "You looked awful up there—you still do."

Hihara did look a bit green, and he staggered around a bit as he and Hino walked away from the roller coaster. He gulped and said, "I-I'm okay. I'm okay."

And then he threw up.

"I'm sorry, Hino-chan, I'm really, really sorry," Hihara said, over and over again, as they walked towards Hino's house. 'If I hadn't eaten so much…"

"It's alright, Hihara-senpai, just as long as you're feeling better," Hino reassured him. "I had a lot of fun today, except for when you threw up at my feet," she laughed.

Hihara's dismayed expression made her trail away sheepishly. "Really, I had a great time with you, senpai."

They had reached her doorstep by this time. "Well…I guess I'll see you at school," Hihara said sadly. He was convinced that his chances were blown.

"Alright…well, bye, senpai. I hope you feel better."

Hino closed the door behind her, but watched Hihara trudge dejectedly away from her house through the peephole. She sighed. Hihara senpai was nice, but… she didn't feel the same way about him as she did…

_Ah, what's the point, _Hino thought sadly. _No one can replace him. I can't forget about him, even though it seems he has—wait! Snap out of it, Kaho! You sound like a jukebox spouting lovesick song lyrics! Go do something productive, for God sakes…it should be a while before Nami or anyone else comes by to bombard you with questions…_

It was thus that Hino found herself holding her violin. Gently she laid it on her shoulder and, closing her eyes, unconciously began playing the melody. Their melody.

"All in all I'd say it was a success, don't you think?" Tsuchiura mused as he and Len walked home together. "She's probably not going to go out with him again…and did you notice that she went back to calling him senpai?"

He turned to face Tsukimori and said, "Say something would you?"

Len stayed silent for a few minutes, then said quietly, "I don't…I don't deserve her."

For a while, Tsuchiura was taken aback at this honest, humble way Tsukimori said what he thought. _Hino has really changed him._ He stopped abruptly and looked at Tsukimori.

"Look, I don't like you. We both know that. But…I think we also know…both of us…that you like her…and that she…she likes you back. Hihara might not see that yet, but Shimizu and Fuyuumi know that too. And Yunoki went so far as to help bring you two together…at the expense of his best friend. And…I wish she had chosen me over you…God knows how I wish she had…but that isn't what happened…and being the lucky bastard you are, you ought to know to treat her better! For all our sakes!" The pianist said this quietly at first, though his voice grew increasingly louder and louder, causing Tsukimori to involuntarily back up a few steps.

"I'm not done yet," Tsuchiura continued. "Hino is a great girl. She deserves more than your humility and sniveling words. So for crying out loud, man up and get her back!"

Tsukimori stood there quietly, ashamed at himself. Here was his rival, an arrogant, brash teenager, aggressive and rough, but he was willing to give up his chances at Kahoko for him. And what was he doing?

Suddenly he smiled and looked at Tsuchiura. "I will."

A/N—I made Tsuchiura into an unsung hero. AHAHHA. It was the nicest thing I could think of. Although I really wanted to have him run over or something after reading the latest chapter of la corda. I can't believe he confessed. even after he knew how kaho and len felt about each other. Anyway, this story is drawing to a close. I hope I make a good ending.


	16. Chapter 16

The Monday after Hino's and Hihara's semi-disastrous date, Hino, eating lunch with Mio and Nao, was bombarded by questions about her day out with the trumpet player.

"Oh, Kaho-chan, please?" Mio begged her, looking at Kaho with puppy dog eyes while sipping her juice box. "I couldn't call you from my grandmother's house, you know my family believes in setting aside 'together time'…"

Hino sighed. "Fine, but just so you know, I'm only repeating this one last time. I had to recount it all for Nao, then for Amou, then for my mom and my sister, and even for Fuyuumi-chan!"

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. Nao and Mio, sitting across their table, visibly stiffened and looked at each other with glances Kaho could not interpret. Turning around, she understood suddenly. It was Tsukimori, with an unreadable expression on his face. Nonchalantly—at least, she _tried_ to sound nonchalant—Hino said, "Oh. Tsukimori-kun. What brings you here?"

Tsukimori cleared his throat. "I have to speak to you."

"Go ahead."

Tsukimori glared. "ALONE."

"It's all right, Tsukimori-kun. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of my friends."

Tsukimori sighed coolly. "Fine. Hino-san, I like you," he declared, not quietly.

Everyone within a two-foot radius of their lunch table turned their heads and gawked. Hino flushed beet red, not knowing whether to feel shock or happiness or anger or frustration, or all of those at once. Abruptly, she stood up, her chair creating a scraping noise on the cafeteria floor. Gritting her teeth, she said, "_Where _would you like to go?"

As soon as she had closed the door to an empty classroom, Hino whirled around to face him, furious. "Wh-what was that?" she spluttered. It was strange for both of them, seeing her act so angry. Hino was never like that. But she couldn't help it. What was he doing? Sure, she had kind of admitted to herself that she liked Tsukimori, very, very, very much, but for him to DO that!

Tsukimori sighed, and then stepped towards her. "I'm sorry, but I had to talk to you. I had to explain myself…to ask for your forgiveness…to see if we could go back to how we were before."

Hino's eyes swelled with tears, even as she furiously swiped them away. "Don't you see, Tsukimori? Things can never go back to how they were! I can't just forget about everything that happened in Kyoto as if-as if it were just a dream-!"

She was cut short when Tsukimori suddenly pulled her into an embrace. Hino felt her heart beat faster in spite of what she had said.

"I'm not asking you to forget what happened," Len murmured softly into her hair, closing his eyes as he took in her scent. "I know what I did was wrong. It was stupid. I know that. And I'm asking you to forgive me. I'm sorry, Kaho. I'm so sorry."

Hino felt herself shudder against him as she let her tears fall. "I want to believe you, Tsukimori-kun, I do," she said as she pulled away from him to look at his face. "But after everything that's happened…"

"Hino…Kaho…," he said, taking her hands in his. "Give me another chance. I do…I do like you. I like you a lot. I've never felt this way about a girl before. You are the first-the only one who has ever made me feel happy, content. But I was too selfish and stupid to realize that I couldn't satisfy my longing in music. YOU are my happiness, Hino Kahoko."

As he said all these things, Hino looked at his face, his eyes. His golden, earnest, pleading eyes.

Len waited for her answer, felt his heart clench when he saw her hang her head.

_You blew it, Len._

Suddenly, Hino flung her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Her salty tears coursed down both their cheeks, but neither cared. Tsukimori wrapped his arms around her waist, nearly lifting her in the air.

"Oi."

The two students quickly stepped away from each other, Hino's face as red as her now undone maroon school tie, while Tsukimori did his best to maintain a collected expression in spite of his wrinkled uniform.

"Really, you two. A whole school break in Kyoto wasn't enough? Geez, kids these days," this last part Kanazawa muttered to himself, shaking his head in halfhearted disgust. "Get out of there, lunch is almost over, and you'll both be late to class."

As soon as Kanazawa closed the door, Hino glanced at Tsukimori and started giggling uncontrollably. She was pleasantly surprised to see Len with a wide grin on his face as well.

"Well, you heard what Kanazawa-sensei said," Len told Hino as he kissed her forehead lovingly. "You'd better get to class after fixing yourself up. I'll walk you home later, all right?"

Kaho smiled as she squeezed his hand. "Okay."


End file.
